Going Home
by Suburban Legend
Summary: When Vegeta is transported into a dimension that holds untold secrets, will Goku be able to reign in his friend and bring him home before it's too late? Rated T for darker themes.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is the first time I've written a fanfic in a really long time so I am totally rusty.

This is going to be a story mostly about Vegeta, but I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to give anything away! There is going to be a lot of ups and downs...

Enjoy!

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Vegeta looked at Kakarot and shook his head. What the daft man had suggested was suicide; as simple as that. "You're even more of an idiot than I thought." He said gruffly, wincing in pain as his cracked ribs expanded.

"It's our only choice." Kakarot said sadly, looking at the shorter Saiyan. The pair of them had taken a massive beating from their latest opponent; a mass of energy that seemed to only grow stronger the more they attacked.

_It had arrived less than a week ago, starting as a small, innocent looking creature. It had landed in the yard of Capsule Corp. with a hearty hello. As luck would have it, the whole group was over. They were celebrating Trunks' 8th birthday. The creature introduced itself as Ven and then smiled, bowed, and apologized for interrupting their party._

_Bulma, being the ever gracious host, walked over to Ven and smiled. "Oh that's okay little guy!" She said with a cheerful smile. "We're celebrating my son's birthday and can always use an extra guest!" She gestured grandly with the hand that held her full glass of wine; the fifth she'd had that day._

_Vegeta, and Kakarot for that matter, had been considerably less welcoming, but by now Vegeta had learned to keep his mouth shut when his wife was drinking. Instead, he leaned against a tree in the shade and observed the party._

"Watch out!" Came the sharp warning from Vegeta as another shot of energy came out of the brightly glowing blob. Even though Vegeta had gone to push him, the majority of the blast still grazed Kakarot's hip.

Kakarot let out a sharp cry of pain and dropped to the ground underneath where they had been floating. These energy blasts had been ripping through the two warriors like a bullet through a blanket. It was getting harder to bounce back from them.

Vegeta dodged the blast aimed at him and looked down at Kakarot, contemplating the desperate man's plan. _Was it the only way?_ Vegeta honestly could not think of another solution, but it was hard to admit that the other Saiyan could be right. _Would it even work? _He winced again as another blast came out of the blob and nearly took his arm off. The sudden movements were making his ribs shift in an awful way, not that he would admit it out loud.

_Ven acclimated itself to the party fairly quickly. It was a small, four-armed insect looking thing. It had 6 large, reflective eyes and a light purple exoskeleton. It had explained that all the power at the party had brought it down from it's travels through outer space. Vegeta couldn't help but think that those reflective eyes had looked a little hungry at the mention of energy. _

_Eventually, as with most events that the warriors gathered at, two opponents had squared off in a good-natured spar. This time it was Goten and Trunks. Ven had taken immediate interest as the boys powered up. All of the adults gathered around the boys, joking, taking bets, and calling out suggestions. Ven stepped closer, it's mouth opening to show off sharp teeth._

_Vegeta was the first to notice that their curious guest was acting devious, and it was almost too late. The little thing lunged at his son, screaming like a wild beast intent on attacking his prey. A quick energy shot put a stop to that, but began a series of events that would change his life forever._

_A split formed in Ven's side and out of it came pure light. Everyone looked away as Ven rose up. "You will give me your energy!" It shrieked, pointing down at them with two left arms. "All I wanted was the energy of the boy, but you wouldn't share. Now I want all of your energy!"_

Vegeta remembered thinking that this thing was a little too much like Buu for his liking, but the battle that had begun on that day was still raging.

Vegeta gritted his teeth as he dodged another barrage of energy blasts. For the past day everyone had been trying Gohan's suggestion. He figured that maybe Ven had a limit to the amount of power it contained; maybe they could just wear it down until there was no more.

By now it was clear that that was not the case; Ven had already sent back the amount of energy they had put in tenfold. Krillin and Gohan had been taken out early, the others falling not far after them. Soon, only Piccolo, Kakarot, and Vegeta remained and Kakarot had instructed Piccolo to take their fallen allies to safety. He had gotten another idea and it only required the two Saiyans.

Another energy blast shot out and hit him in the thigh. He released a cry of pain before flying closed to where Kakarot still lay. "Get up you lazy slug!" Vegeta yelled angrily. If they were going to do Kakarot's plan, one of them would need to keep Ven busy long enough. Vegeta knew that Kakarot planned to be the hero, but it was starting to look like the fallen Saiyan might not even be up to acting as a distraction.

Kakarot gave him a loopy smile and began to rise from supine position when another energy blast leveled him to the ground again. Vegeta could tell that he had temporarily been knocked unconscious.

Vegeta cursed his luck and turned to look at the orb of energy in the sky. He sighed.

"_You cut into his exoskeleton with that first blast," Kakarot had said. Vegeta just raised an eyebrow at him, not understanding what the daft man was getting at. _

"_His exterior is weak… it's just the energy around him that's making him untouchable."_

_Suddenly Vegeta understood. It was suicide. _

Vegeta sighed and thought about Bulma's warm smile and loud, bubbly personality. He thought about his young son who was so strong and smart. His chest hurt a little with emotions that he refused to acknowledge.

"You better wish me back!" He called down to Kakarot as he began to power up and fly quickly towards the light.

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I have already written 6 of the Chapters and I'm going to keep at it and try and update on a fairly regular basis!

Please review and let me know what you think! I would love the feedback and the encouragement wouldn't hurt either. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So there was a lot of stuff I meant to say at the beginning of the story, but I'm just going to say it at the beginning of this story!

This story takes place roughly a year after Battle of Gods, but still before Bra (Bulla) was born... somewhere in that gray area.

I am currently rewatching Dragon Ball Z (hence the inspiration to start writing this fanfic), so if I make any major errors, please please please let me know!

Also, I do not own any of the characters or the world in which they live.

And lastly, the first chapters are really short. They are essentially establishing all of the information needed to know before this story really gets going, so don't worry!

Please enjoy!

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The call from Vegeta brought Goku round again. "_You better wish me back!" _He lay there, trying to process what had been said to him and by the time he did, it was entirely too late. He popped up and looked around for the feisty prince. By the time Goku located him, Vegeta was only a speck in the midst of pure energy.

Goku screamed and powered up as quickly as he could and took off after the smaller man. He wouldn't let him make the sacrifice. It was Goku's to make. "Vegeta!" He shouted as he raced as quickly as he could. He wasn't going to get there in time.

Vegeta could feel the raw energy stripping his skin away as he pushed forward. Blood was coming out of his nose, tear ducts, and ear from the pressure that the little monster had created. He was getting so close to the energy ball, but he knew his death would be for nothing if he didn't get all the way to the goal. He feared for a moment that he wouldn't get to Ven.

As he got closer, the energy balls that were ripping out of the mass became harder and harder to dodge. One hit his shoulder, causing blood to spray out of the jagged tear. He grimaced in pain and kept going.

His thoughts went to the moment when Ven had pounced on Trunks, intending to consume him. The anger made him stronger and he flew forward, ignoring that his clothes were almost completely gone as well as most of his skin. The pain was becoming unbearable.

_Bulma cupped his chin and smiled warmly at him. "I love you, you know?" She asked him as she kissed his forehead. He scowled and looked away. "I know you love me too." She whispered, undaunted by his rough exterior._

Just as Vegeta believed that he would die before he got to Ven, he saw the small bug-thing. The muscles of his bloody and skinless face formed into a grim smile. "Gotcha." He croaked as he he wrapped his raw hands around the thing. He noticed with the one eye he still had that some of the bones on his hand were exposed.

"_Vegeta!" His mother called for him through the castle that he called home before Frieza had taken him. _

"_Yes, mother?" Vegeta asked as he peeked out of a corridor. His mother was his favorite person ever, but even his father mocked the relationship the two had, saying that it was too emotional. He looked around, making sure that no one saw him. The halls were empty, so he ran into his mother's embrace. _

"_I'm going away now." She said softly, trying to not sound sad. "I'll be visiting the realm and I'll be gone for a few years." She was holding back tears, he could tell. "You'll be a man when I return." _

"_Why?" He asked, confused. His mother was so strong. She had won King Vegeta's hand in marriage by fighting other women to the death. He couldn't understand why she was so sad._

"_Your father… he." She stopped and steeled herself. "It is best." Is all she said. That was the last time Vegeta ever saw her. It was his sixth birthday. _

Vegeta shoved both of his hands into the opening that he had created earlier. It looked like it hadn't healed at all. That gave the dying man hope. With a scream of both pain and frustration he began to pull apart the thing. He could hear a cracking, but he wasn't sure if it was his now frail bones, or the thing he was wrapped around. He hoped it was the latter of the two.

_Bulma was soaked with the rain that was pouring down, but he could still she was crying. "I thought you were gone forever." She croaked out sadly as she looked at him. Her chin was trembling and she looked like she hadn't slept the entire time he had been in space. _

_Vegeta shook his head. "I just…" he paused. Emotions were not his thing, to say the least. In the doorway, he saw Bulma's parents. Her mother was holding a small child, that he could already tell was his. Though he had Bulma's eyes and her father's hair, the child looked just like him. It was these people, these people were the reason that he had been able to ascend. They, specifically Bulma, had given him strength. He took a step forward. "I will always come back." He promised._

With one last passionate cry, Vegeta ripped Ven's exoskeleton apart. As all of the energy that it had contained released, Vegeta felt peace knowing that his death would mean the safety of his family.

The hot flash of energy felt more like a warm embrace than the end.

The blast threw Goku back a hundred yards and he hit the ground with tremendous energy, causing the earth to split in his wake.

He lay there, staring up at the empty sky, desperately trying to search for the ki of the other Saiyan. He knew it was in vain, but he still couldn't give up. His body began to shake. The emotions tore through him like a tidal wave and soon he was screaming and crying and beating the ground below him.

Eventually he was spent and all he could do was breathe heavily and shake. He could barely process the information that was running through his mind. _Vegeta was dead_. _Vegeta is gone_. He had sacrificed himself and he had succeeded in saving Earth. Slowly, Goku stood and looked around. He needed to get back and tell everyone what happened. The weight of the news he carried was heavier than anything else he had ever carried before.

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Hopefully you enjoyed! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews; here is another short chapter for you guys. I'm trying to post a new chapter every time I write one. Enjoy!

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By the time Goku reached the Capsule Corp. his entire body felt numb. He not only couldn't feel the pain from his injuries, but he couldn't feel any emotions at all. It was like he had turned off. Medically, he was probably slipping into some sort of shock from the combination of his physical and mental exhaustion. He couldn't help but feel like it wasn't going to be as easy as a wish to bring his fallen comrade back. Something in his gut told him, and he had learned a long time ago to always trust his gut.

He landed heavily on the ground and looked over the people who were gathered there. Videl, holding their infant in her arms, was sitting next to Gohan; who was still a little dazed. Goten and Trunks were standing with Chi Chi and Bulma. The rest of the people were milling around the yard or in the house.

All heads turned to Goku as he landed. Bulma took a step forward, mouth opening to ask where Vegeta was. Goku shook his head and looked down. He couldn't even say it.

Bulma's words died in her throat when she saw Goku's look. She gasped and then cried out, knowing what it meant. She fell to the ground and let loose a sob that shook her to the core. Trunks was there in an instant, not fully understanding his mother's grief.

"Mom?" He asked as he hugged her. Panic was written across his face as he looked around. Where was his father? Why was Goku alone? "Mom!" He called again, shaking her for emphasis, tears forming in his blue eyes.

Goku walked over to the broken family and leaned down with Bulma. Everyone else watched silently.

"He saved us all." Was all he could think to say to his grieving friend. She looked at him and tried to choke out some words, but he couldn't understand what she had said through all of the tears.

Eventually, it became clear that she was whispering about the Dragon Balls. "Get them." Was the only thing that came out clearly. After a few more attempts, Bulma took a deep breath and looked up to him with determination. She said in a low voice, "We will wish him back. I have the Dragon Balls. Somebody get them."

After Trunks had brought the Dragon Balls to the yard, everyone's mood began to lift. It would all be fine, they convinced themselves. Shenron would bring Vegeta back and everything would be back to normal. Goku was not so sure. He couldn't help but feel a complete and total hopelessness that was very uncharacteristic of the normally upbeat Saiyan.

Consumed by his thoughts, Goku only noticed that the powerful dragon had been summoned when he heard Shenron's ominous voice ring out. He shook himself from his thoughts and moved closer to where Trunks and Bulma stood, trying to be a strong presence for them.

"Please, great Shenron," Bulma started. Her voice was hoarse still from all the crying, "Please bring my husband Vegeta back to me. He died saving this planet and my wish is to bring him back to life."

The pregnant pause seemed to last forever.

"I cannot grant that wish." Shenron said eventually. Goku wasn't sure, but he thought that he could hear a tone of regret in the normally emotionless voice.

Bulma gaped, completely at a loss for words for the first time in her life.

Goku stepped in before the emotional women went into hysterics. "Why not?" He asked.

Shenron turned his attention the Goku. "The one you call Vegeta is alive. What is your wish?"

Goku's mind reeled, _Vegeta was alive? How is that possible?_ He had been completely vaporized by the energy explosion. There was no way.

"Can we wish to bring him back here then, from wherever he is? If he's still alive?" Trunks asked hopefully. He was standing at his mother's side, trying to be brave like he knew his father would have wanted.

"That is not something I can do. It is outside of my powers." Shenron said. "Vegeta is alive, but he is not on this plane of existence. He is…" Shenron paused, as if at a loss for words on how to explain where exactly Vegeta was. "He is in another dimension."

The silence that followed that declaration was heavy as everyone tried to understand what the dragon meant. Bulma had gone back to weeping and Goku knew he had to act quickly.

"Do you have a wish?" Shenron sounded impatient and for a split second, Goku wanted to yell at him; tell the dragon off for being so heartless.

However, Goku knew that would do no good. Instead, he acted on instinct and wished, "I wish for the knowledge of how to get to this other dimension. I wish that you give me the understanding to bring my friend back."

Shenron bristled slightly. That was the vaguest wish he had ever been asked. He contemplated the people before him for some time. They had been the recipients of almost all of his wishes for the past two decades. They were, he knew, allies to Dende. They were the people who had saved the Earth so many times.

With a heavy sigh, the dragon nodded and sent into Goku's mind all of the information that he would require. "Your wish has been granted." He said before he withdrew his powers and the Dragon Balls flew away to hide for another year.

Goku stared off into the distance, trying to understand all of the information that Shenron had just given him. It made his heart and mind ache. He was the only person who would be able to make the journey to where Vegeta was. He didn't think that the journey itself would be that hard at all. In fact, the only thing that he thought might be hard would be convincing the Saiyan Prince to return home once he was found.

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Vegeta felt warm all over; like he was snuggled in a soft blanket and left to lay out in the sun's rays. He sighed and tried to stretch out his limbs as he began to wake, but found that he couldn't. As he struggled, the warmth turned to a burning heat and panic rose in his chest. What was happening?

"He's awake!" He heard someone call. It sounded like he was listening to someone who was shouting underwater. Maybe it was he who was underwater?

Suddenly, the warm light disappeared and he was suddenly in a cold and dark room. He looked around until his eyes fell on a familiar face. His mother was sitting at the edge of his bed, smiling warmly at him. "Welcome home, son." She said as she leaned in to wrap him in her arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, now things are really getting interesting! The adventure is just starting and I hope you guys love all the twists and turns that I've added.

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"Explain this to me one more time." Bulma said as she eyed the cup of coffee in her hands. She, Goku, and Piccolo were all sitting at her dinner table two nights after they had summoned Shenron. It was well past midnight and they were the only ones awake in the house.

"Planet Vegeta was never destroyed." Goku started, then stopped. He frowned, trying to find the words to describe this knowledge. It wasn't like something you could just read in a book. It wasn't something he could even grasp firmly. Everytime he thought he had a real handle on the information, it slipped through his fingers. The knowledge was just _in_ him. It was like breathing. He just _knew_. Suddenly Goku had been granted a wealth of knowledge about the Saiyan race.

"There are these… Guardians. Similar to Dende, who protected the entire planet Vegeta. When Frieza went to destroy it, they used all their power to take the whole planet and phase it out of our dimension and into." He stopped again and frowned. They hadn't moved it into a different dimension, so much as they had moved it slightly over so it wasn't really in any dimension at all. It was just in it's own space. Man, Goku really hated being the one who had all the knowledge. He would rather be the one sitting at the table trying to understand what was being said. "They moved it." He said and shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.

"And… Vegeta is there? How?" Bulma asked, looking at him with tired eyes. Goku wasn't sure that his friend has slept one minute since her husband's disappearance. They had started calling it his disappearance rather than his death, since Vegeta was technically still alive; still, Goku felt like the word didn't have the proper amount of weight to it.

"Yeah, so that's the tricky part." Goku said and sighed. "Right at the moment when Ven was vaporized, the Guardians phased Vegeta into their world. They saved him and brought him back to the planet."

"So all you have to do is get them to phase you there too?" Bulma sounded hopeful.

Piccolo, who had been silent up until this point, snorted. "That's going to be easier said than done."

Bulma shot him a glare that might have killed a weaker man. Piccolo apparently didn't notice at all.

Goku was shaking his head all the same. "I don't actually think it'll be that hard." He said with an optimistic smile. "These Guardians were the closest thing Saiyan's had to priests or religion. Everywhere where there was an established settlement of Saiyans also had a temple where the Guardian would reside. Frieza didn't destroy every outcrop."

Both Piccolo and Bulma perked up immediately at this statement. "So what you're saying-" Piccolo began, before he was cut off by Bulma's outburst.

"There is still a temple where a Guardian lives!" She shouted as she stood, almost knocking over the forgotten coffee cup.

Goku nodded enthusiastically. "All I have to do is get to her, convince her to help me, and then just phase into the planet." Goku was trying to keep it simple for himself and for Bulma. He didn't want to trouble her with all of the 'what ifs'. She was already under enough stress as it was.

"So the only hard part will be convincing Vegeta to return with you." Piccolo's voice deflated the sudden levity in the room like an arrow through a balloon.

Bulma seemed to deflate too. "Why would that be the hard part?" She asked, her blue eyes turning to ice.

"Don't be a fool." Piccolo started, but noticing the pain on the woman's face, softened his tone a little. "Vegeta may have found a place to call home here in your arms, but let's not forget that he still considers himself the Prince of all Saiyans. He still pines for his throne. Let's not forget how quickly he boarded that ship during that whole Broly fiasco."

She stared at him for a long time, her lips set in a firm line.

"What it'll come down to is whether he loves you more than himself." From the tone of Piccolo's voice, it sounded like he didn't have much faith. "I think you have to prepare yourself for that reality." He said, sounding almost as if he was apologizing to her.

Bulma returned to her seat and began to stare at her coffee again. Eventually she looked up at Goku, who had also fallen into a sullen silence. "When will you leave?"

Goku looked up and shrugged. "I can leave tomorrow. It may take some time. I know where this planet is, but I don't _know_ where it is." He really hoped that made sense. "It's more of a 'I'll know it when I see it' type thing." He said, giving her a wan smile.

Bulma nodded and stood. "I think if you're going to leave tomorrow, we should all get some rest."

Goku nodded in agreement. Piccolo exited the kitchen before them. Bulma's cold hand caught Goku's arm with a steely grip as he went to follow the Namekan. He turned and stared her in the eyes. "You better bring him back, Goku."

He nodded solemnly, not looking forward to the venture he was about to set out on. "I will."

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Vegeta stared around the palace he had once known so well in wonder. "How long was I asleep for?" He asked his mother as he looked up at her.

"For a long time, my little prince." She said with a kind smile and a squeeze to the hand. "Your father, and many other brave warriors died protecting this planet from the evil Frieza. You were injured and fell into a deep sleep. But now you're awake. Now you're home."

Something in the deep pits of Vegeta's mind stirred as he listened to the story his mother told.

"Father is… dead?" He said, innocently cocking his head to the side.

"Yes." Said the Queen with a thin smile. She then got on her knees and looked at Vegeta. "And do you know what that means, my child?"

Vegeta shook his head and looked out the window as some workers set up a large tent in the courtyard.

"It means that you're the king now." She whispered and kissed her son on the forehead. "Now go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow." Her tail slipped up to gently rub her son's cheek. He smiled contently and his own tail wiggled happily in response.

"It's not everyday you turn seven, my king."

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I'm going to be fairly busy this weekend, but I will still try an upload at least one more chapter this weekend. I hope you enjoyed it and as always, please read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all so much for commenting, following, and liking my story! I'm really excited for where it's heading and I hope you guys are too.

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_He had been flying through the sky as an adult. Next to him was another man; someone whose face was so familiar, yet so unplaceable. Vegeta had scowled at the other man, but was only shot a crooked smile in return. They flew through the sky over a planet that was full of life, heading for a large city. Wherever they were, it was clear it was not the planet Vegeta; the animals, the foliage, the architecture of the city, everything was so alien to him. And yet, just like the man next to him, it was also familiar._

_As the two men got closer to the city, the other man called, "Hey Vegeta! Race you to Capsule Corp!" Before he took off at an accelerated rate. _

_Vegeta grinned and raced after him, quickly closing the space between them. Just as he passed the other man, they came upon a large, gated facility that gave Vegeta a warm feeling in his chest._

_As he landed a young, beautiful blue-haired woman came out. She smiled warmly at him and lifted her hand in a wave. "Hey Vegeta, hey G-"_

"Wake up." Vegeta's mother said, shaking her son from his dream. She pulled the sheets away from his tiny form. "You must get up earlier, the sun has beaten you by two hours."

Vegeta sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. "I was having a dream, mama." He said and looked up to her. The dream was trying to slip away from him, but he wouldn't let it.

Vegeta's mother, Queen Chiara, frowned down at her small son. He looked so young in the sunlight that was pouring through the windows. Her heart ached, it still didn't seem real. After a moment of silence she picked him up and gave him a big hug. "How can I be mad at you when I haven't had you with me in so long?" She whispered into his ear. Her tail gently rubbing up his back.

The hug made him uncomfortable. He knew that his mother had always been more affectionate towards him than a normal Saiyan mother to their child, but ever since he had woken up from his year long sleep, the woman had been at his side constantly.

He squirmed a bit and his tail thrashed in protest. "Mother." He whispered in distress, not quite willing to demand that he be set down.

She laughed a little and set her boy on the ground. "I'm sorry." She apologized, although the smile on her face belied her statement. "I forget that you're not just my little prince anymore. Now you're my king too and I ought to treat you like a man."

Her teasing tone made Vegeta's face burn red. _How dare she speak to you like that? You __are_ _a man! _An indignant and gruff voice in his head yelled. Vegeta stormed away from his mother to get ready for the day. It was his seventh birthday and he did not want it to be ruined because his mother insisted on babying him and fussing over him constantly.

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Goku paced the small space ship that he had taken on his voyage. Piccolo growled slightly, trying to focus on his meditation. Eventually, he could not take it anymore. "Will you stop that?" He shouted, a little more loudly than he meant.

Goku jumped a little and then frowned. "You didn't have to come, you know? It's not like you can make the journey to planet Vegeta anyways."

Piccolo stared at him. "Just what were you planning on telling the Guardian when you finally find her? 'Oh hi, my name is Goku. I know that you just used an immense amount of power to transport your Prince back to his kingdom, but you know what? I'm just going to have to bring him back. Can you take me there?'"

Goku laughed nervously at Piccolo's ire. He put his hand on the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that probably wouldn't work, would it? I honestly hadn't thought about it." He confessed.

Piccolo sighed heavily. "That's why I came."

Suddenly the display of the ship began to beep, signaling that they were approaching a planet that held life.

Forgetting their tiff, the two warriors rushed forward as the ship slowed perfectly into the orbit of the ship. Piccolo turned to look at Goku, who was grinning like a loon. "I'm guessing that we finally found the planet." He said with a little satisfaction. They have been travelling for just over a week and that was already too long to be around the energetic Saiyan, in his opinion.

Goku nodded and punched in a command to land the ship. "So what should I say to the Guardian?" He asked, not forgetting the entire reason they had made the voyage.

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Vegeta sat and watched the festivities which were being thrown in his honor with little interest. The fire throwers were interesting and the recreations of famous Saiyan battles were exciting, yet, Vegeta could not seem to focus. Vegeta's young mind was still trying to deal with all the images he had seen. He couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it was something more than a dream. He remembered once being told by a nurse that sometimes dreams could mean more; sometimes they were the mind trying to tell the soul something. _But what did it mean?_

"What's wrong Vegeta?" His mother's voice broke through his thoughts. "Don't you enjoy your party?"

Vegeta looked at her and then over the lawn full of strong Saiyan warriors, demonstrating their abilities. "Of course mother." He said politely as he watched.

He turned to look at his mother. She was still staring at him with an intense frown on her brow. He knew she expected more than that. "I just. Mother, may I begin training soon? If I am to be king, I will have to be strong."

Queen Chiara's frown turned into a thin smile. "Of course you do." She said, far more accusatory than she had meant. Vegeta didn't seem to notice the strain in her voice. "We will have to find you a trainer though. One that I can trust with you."

She turned her attention back to the games as a storm brewed silently in her chest.

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This is the last short chapter (for awhile, at least). Now the story is really getting going. I wonder how the good queen is going to react when Goku shows up!?

As always, please review!


	6. Chapter 6

This is it folks! Hopefully Goku is able to follow Piccolo's plan to get to Planet Vegeta!

Also, sorry for the delay in updates. I have been pretty sick and haven't been able to write anything worth publishing. Luckily, I'm still about five chapters ahead in my writing than I am in my publishing, so I'm just going to go ahead and publish this one. Hopefully I'll be well enough to write tonight!

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Goku approached the building silently. It was a large, stone temple with stained glass windows and high-arching open doorways. It was a hexagon and each side had an entrance. The building was sat on a high stylobate, with lavish stairways leading up to the doorway.

The walls were covered in ivy that made the temple look run-down. If it weren't for the presence Goku sensed within the building, he would have assumed that it had been abandoned long ago.

With care, Goku walked up the closest stairwell from the direction which he had come. When he reached the entrance, he poked his head in cautiously and looked around. In the center of the room was a great basin filled with a dark purple liquid. Surrounding that was a set of six tall candle holders made of clear crystal. They had been embossed with a silver-colored metal in ornate patterns. The floors were covered in elegant rugs. The walls were all lined with shelves, most of the holding ancient looking books or trinkets and bottles. Besides that, the room was empty and Goku frowned. He could sense the presence of the Guardian, but she was no where to be seen.

He walked into the temple to inspect it further. He let out a whoop of joy when he noticed a trap door which was slightly exposed under one of the carpets. Suddenly, the door swung open and woman flew out and landed in front of him.

He gasped in surprised and stepped back a little, staring at her with curiosity. She was the first female Saiyan he had ever seen, after all.

She had dark brown eyes which were piercing and intense, pale skin, and a firmly set mouth. Her cheekbones were high and her features were generally sharp. She wore a long grey dress under a dark blue cloak. In her left hand she held a long staff that was embossed with a similar design as the floor length candle holders. Her hair was thick and long. Goku suspected that if it wasn't in a braid, it would have been just as spiky and wild as his. She was tall and muscular, but there was no denying that she was a woman.

Even under the cloak that she wore, he could still tell that she had impressive endowments. Goku's eyes snapped back to her face before nervously looking around as if Chi Chi might burst through the door at any moment with a frying pan.

"State your business." The woman said in a low, dangerous voice. She was clearly on the defensive.

"Oh, right." Goku said and smiled, trying to seem as harmless as possible. "I uh…" _What was Piccolo's idea again? _Knowing that the Namekian could probably hear him made Goku all the more nervous. His green friend was probably fuming right now.

"My name is Kakarot and I am a Saiyan warrior who fought alongside Vegeta." He said and bowed low, hoping the introduction didn't sound too rehearsed and would calm the irate Saiyan guardian.

It seemed to work and the woman's stance became more relaxed. "My name is Peiana." She said, returning the bow. "I am the last 'Guardian of the People' still in existence. What business do you have with me?"

"I think we both know you're not."

Peiana stared at him when Goku said that, trying to read him to see if he was only bluffing. "Tell me what you know." She demanded eventually.

"I know that when Frieza attempted to destroy planet Vegeta, the Guardians used their power to phase the planet out of our dimension. I know that they saved the entire race of Saiyans which were still on the planet at the time. And I know that just recently, they brought Prince Vegeta home."

Goku paused and attempted to gauge Peiana's expression. It was impossible to read. He took another breath and another step forward. So far, Piccolo's advice seemed to be working, but up to this point, Goku had not lied yet. The lies were about to start, however, and this would be the real challenge.

"I wish to have you send me to planet Vegeta. I want to return to my people and learn about my culture."

Peiana narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You have been a comrade to Vegeta a long time. How am I to believe you are not simply trying to bring him back to this realm with you?"

Goku froze, but Piccolo's voice rang clear through his head, "_You knew that this was a possibility. These Guardian's clearly have some sort of psychic ability. You have to assume that she will know something about your history. You just have to stick to your story and convince her that bringing Vegeta home is not your intention!"_

Goku nodded to himself and gave Peiana the most disarming smile he could. "Why would I be interested in returning to this realm when all of the Saiyans are elsewhere? You are right, Vegeta is my comrade and my alley, but I would be much more interested in training and becoming stronger surrounded by my people. I am a warrior after all."

The silence that followed his little speech made Goku's stomach churn. His heart was beating frantically and all he wanted to do was run. _This isn't going to work!_ He thought frantically, damning his inability to lie.

After what seemed like forever, Peiana nodded. "I have contacted the Guardians on Vegeta. They have given me permission to allow you through. But take my warning, if you are suspected of anything heinous against the crown, we will not hesitate to imprison you and then return you from whence you came."

"Of course!" Goku agreed, trying not to let his relief show.

He watched as Peiana walked over to the basin. She removed a small vial from her sleeve and uncorked it. "When the portal opens, walk quickly into it for it won't last long." She instructed as she dropped a few drops into the purple liquid. Quickly the liquid turned bright orange. As she began to whisper a mantra in what Goku could only assume to be Saiyan, she dipped the end of her staff into the churning liquid. In a flash, she lifted her staff and splashed some of the liquids towards one of the open arches. Instead of going through the doorway, it hung in the air, dripping low until the entire arch had been filled by a solid orange wall. "Go!" She called, without looking at Goku.

He immediately followed her instructions and leapt towards the portal. Just as he was being consumed by the liquid, he heard Piccolo whisper in his head, "_Good luck."_

The feeling of moving from one dimension to another was unlike anything Goku had ever experienced before. It felt like his entire body was being ripped apart slowly, atom by atom. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Suddenly his body bounced back together and every fiber of his being became warm, like a familiar embrace. Soon, Goku became aware of his surroundings. He was in a temple almost identical from the one he had just been in.

The only difference was that there were six Guardians in the room instead of one. Goku was on his butt, looking up at the women. "Oh… hi!" He said, laughing and smiling.

The Guardians stared down at him with a mix of emotions ranging anywhere from boredom to annoyance. Eventually, the oldest of the group stepped forward. Although her hair was grey and dull, her face was still youthful. "Welcome to planet Vegeta."

The next few hours passed by in a blur. The Guardians told him that he would be having a meeting with the royal family and that he would be staying at the palace for the time being. Then, they offered him a meal.

He, of course, accepted gratefully. He began to consume plate after plate of Saiyan food. He had to admit, it was delicious! There were several meat courses, each of them covered in a sauce or gravy that paired perfectly with the flavor. There were several different vegetables either sauteed or steamed and definitely full of flavor. Either a fresh bread or a flavorful pasta was served with every course. Just as he began to fill up, they brought out a round of desserts. It was mostly custards topped with juicy fruit he had never seen before. There was also a dark drink that tasted a lot like hot chocolate. Finally, Goku had reached his full.

"That was amazing!" He said as he finally placed his fork on the empty pile of plates in front of him.

The Guardian who had become his personal escort smiled at his enthusiasm. "If there was any doubt about you being a Saiyan, there certainly isn't any now."

Goku smiled and laughed in agreement. "If Saiyan culture is half as interesting as their cuisine I-" _may stay forever_. The words died in his mouth. He stared at her nervously. He had almost given himself away!

The Guardian stared at him, puzzled, but shook her head finally. "Let's get to the palace, yeah?" She said and stood from her place at the table. She took her cloak off, exposing her slender figure. Suddenly, her power spiked and Goku almost choked. She was incredibly strong!

"Where did all that power come from?" Goku asked loudly.

"Ah, yes. The cloak holds our power down as a form of training. Still, I find it quite annoying to fly with it on."

He nodded, still marveling at her power. No wonder these Guardians were able to phase an entire planet into another dimension. "You should be warned." She said, breaking through his thoughts as they walked outside, getting ready for flight. She was giving him a sad and strange look, "I don't think Prince Vegeta will remember you."

* * *

As always, please review!

If all goes to plan, I'll be finishing another chapter tonight, which means I'll be publishing tonight. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Enjoy!

* * *

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, slightly panicked.

The Guardian frowned and looked over at her companion as they flew. She chewed her lips and weighed the consequences of the secret she was about to tell. Eventually she sighed and nodded, coming to a resolution. _What could it hurt if he knew? _

"Vegeta was incredibly injured by the time we brought him into our realm. It's a miracle that he was alive at all" She started off. They were making their final approach to the palace so she would have to keep it brief. "We used almost all of our power to get him here and the last of it we used in saving his life. However, due to the excessive injuries, there were… complications. We had to make the most of what we had to work with, so in the process he was reverted to a… a small child again." She confessed as they landed in an open courtyard. "It appears that he has no memories of the time after he was about six."

The Guardian felt that she should leave out how adamant Queen Chiara was about reverting him back to a child. She had overheard the eldest guardian explaining that they would probably be able to keep him at his current age, but the healing process would take just a little bit longer. The Queen had requested that he be healed as soon as possible. She had _demanded_ that he be returned to the age that she had seen him last. "_I want my __son_ _back. Not a man I don't know. Not a man who doesn't know __me__." _She had said stubbornly as she crossed her arms and stared down the elder Guardian. And so it was done. Still, that was not information that she felt Kakarot needed.

Goku stared at the now silent Guardian, panic running through his mind. _Vegeta was a child?!_ How was he going to be able to convince Vegeta to return if he didn't even remember him? Goku had feared that it would be hard to convince the Saiyan prince to return home when he was under the assumption that Vegeta would remember them all. He hadn't in a million years expected anything like this to happen.

_Was there even a point to this anymore?_ He wondered, feeling completely dejected as he followed the Guardian indoors. Bulma wanted her husband back, Trunks his father, and Goku selfishly wanted his friend to return. Bringing a child home would do nothing; Bulma wouldn't have her husband, Trunks wouldn't have his father, and Goku wouldn't have his friend. In fact, the only thing that bringing Vegeta home would accomplish would be ripping a child away from his mother. Goku wouldn't do that; he couldn't.

Still, he was already here, and being the optimist that he was, wondered if maybe there was a solution that he just couldn't see yet.

"Well, I'm going to leave you with them. I must return to my temple." The Guardian was saying.

Goku had been so distracted that he hadn't even notice the two servants who had walked up to them. "Oh… okay. Thank you again." He said, giving her half a wave as she walked away.

"Welcome to the palace," the two servants said in unison as they bowed to him. Goku noticed that they had tails wrapped tightly around their waists and wondered if they also fell into the Third Class rank that he apparently did.

"You can follow us." The taller of the two said as he turned on his heels and began to walk at a brisk pace. "The Queen is in court now and will be unavailable for consul until after dinner this evening. Would you like to be served in your room, or would you take your dinner with some of the other guests here on visit?"

Despite his glum mood, the idea of meeting other Saiyans did excite Goku a little bit. "I'll take my food with everyone else!"

"Very good, Sir Kakarot." The second servant said as they stopped in front of a door. "This will be your bedroom while you stay here at the palace. If you need anything at all, one or both of us will be outside your door, night and day. Besides that, you are free to wander around the palace as you please. The only places that are off limits will have guards at the door to tell you so."

Goku nodded and walked into the room. The door shut silently behind him and he stared at his lavish accommodations in wonder. In the center of the room was a large bed, covered in soft pillows and inviting blankets. On the opposite wall was a large desk and dresser. On either sides of them were two open doorways. One led into a large closet while the other led into a large bathroom.

Goku walked straight through the room and came to two glass doors that opened to an expansive balcony. He stepped outside and looked at his view. There was a jagged, foreboding mountain range in the distance and there appeared to be a city sitting at the foothills. While the buildings were no where near as tall as the ones in the cities on Earth, it did seem to go on for miles. Closer still was the palace wall and inside of that were hundreds of acres of land that seemed to have been terraformed to create large, rolling hills, forests, and ponds. It looked beautiful and reminded him a little bit of the land surrounding Capsule Corp. Directly below where Goku's balcony was appeared to be a large training facility. There were a few soldiers sparring, but everyone else seemed to be watching two people square off in a heated battle.

* * *

Vegeta grit his teeth in frustration as he wiped a little blood from his mouth and looked at the older man he was fighting. It had been a week since his birthday and they still had not found a person his mother deemed worthy of being his trainer.

He had to agree with her; he had beat every single person who had vied for the job. He did not understand completely why he had suddenly become such an amazing fighter, but he didn't really care. A power he had never felt before surged through him and his body reacted naturally to any offending blows as if he had been fighting for years; decades even.

He had bested one fighter after another, and was now challenging random soldiers to battle, hoping one would be able to prove his match. So far, he had only been disappointed. This one was no better than the rest. The only reason he had even gotten the one damaging blow on the prince was because he was fighting dirty. It was just an unspoken rule in Saiyan on Saiyan fighting to not grab the other's tail, yet this man had done just that. He had given the sensitive appendage a hard yank which had pulled the slightly stunned boy down into the knee that was coming up quickly to meet him.

If Vegeta hadn't been so impressed with his audacity, he might have demanded his mother execute him.

"Come on! Is that all you've got?" Vegeta shouted as he launched an aggressive array of punches at his opponent.

It apparently was all he had, because soon enough the soldier was on the ground, unconscious.

The young prince was breathing heavily, but still felt completely energized. He was going to fight through their entire military and still not find a single person strong enough to train him. His tail thrashed violently at the thought. _This was hopeless! _Vegeta tried very hard to keep his composure in front of the soldiers. He would be their king after all and it wouldn't do to throw a temper tantrum in front of them.

That could wait until he was alone with his mother.

"Wow. It looks like you could use a new partner!" A foreign, yet all too familiar voice called cheerily from behind him.

Vegeta turned to see a tall man with spiky black hair looking at him. He wore a large, good natured smile that belied the incredible strength which Vegeta could sense. His orange and blue training clothes held a symbol that Vegeta didn't recognize.

This strangers' entire appearance made Vegeta uneasy in a way he could not verbalize. "Who are you?" He demanded as he turned to face him fully.

Goku could barely believe how similar Vegeta looked. The only difference was that he was about half his original size and just a little bit softer. He also, Goku noted, had regained his tail. Goku's heart dropped a little when Vegeta didn't recognize him, but he pushed on. "My name is Kakarot." He said and bowed, remembering that the prince finally had his kingdom and Goku couldn't treat him in the same manner as he had back home. "I think you'll find that you and I will be friends."

Vegeta snorted and crossed his arms. "I'm not looking for a friend, _Kakarot_, I'm looking for a trainer."

* * *

Queen Chiara pushed away her empty plate as she watched the delegates leave. She had been listening to, and ruling on, her planet's problems since before the sun rose this morning and it had given her quite the headache. She had put off court ever since her boy had been returned to her.

The problems of the planet could wait, she had told herself as she held her little boy. This was much more important to her. She had watched him grow up, using the powers of the Guardians selfishly; yearning to be with him, to help him, and to train him to become the king his people needed. When Frieza had taken his life, she had begged the Guardians to bring him to her, but it was too late then. They had not been fast enough. Every so often she begged them to try, but it was only this last battle that they had finally agreed to do it.

Now she had her baby back and she would be damned if anyone ever took him from her again.

"_If you baby him anymore, he'll become weak. We need him to be strong. He needs to be a warrior." King Vegeta had scolded her as she slipped into bed the night before Vegeta's sixth birthday._

"_Oh, he's still a child." She had dismissed him, as she had the hundred times before. It was truly the only argument that they ever got it. She never thought that it would be resolved. She figured he would continue to be cold to their child, and she would continue to love him along the way._

"_Maybe I'll send him away." The threat stung more than King Vegeta knew, considering he had already sent away his second born son, who had only been an infant at the time. "Maybe I'll send him to Lord Frieza."_

_Chiara had sat up in bed then and looked down at her King. "You will do no such thing. Frieza is a monster. You won't turn our son into a warrior by doing that; you'll turn him into a murderer."_

"_Frieza has mentioned fostering Vegeta."_

"_Then you're more of a coward than I thought; trying to convince me that it's for the good of our son, when the only person it's really benefiting is your spineless ass."_

_The silence in the room hung heavy for a long time, until King Vegeta said, in a tired voice. "I think it would be a good idea for you to tour the planet. Take a few years away from the palace to learn more about the needs of our people and less about the needs of yourself."_

Queen Chiara was drawn out of the bitter memory by the presence of one of her guards. "Yes?" She asked, still fired up from the thought of her now dead husband.

"My Queen." He said, bowing to one knee. "We went to go retrieve Kakarot, like you asked…"

"But?" She had almost had a heart-attack when she learned that the Saiyan was now on planet Vegeta. He may have convinced the Guardians that he wasn't here to take her baby away again, but she was not so trusting and wanted to make a few things clear the the Third-Class warrior.

"Well, my Queen, he seems to have found himself to the training ground. He is… currently sparring with Prince Vegeta."

The guard shrank away from the enraged Queen as she let out a yell and threw her goblet at him. "WHAT?" She screamed as she dashed out of the room.

* * *

I think it's safe to say that the queen is not going to get along so well with Goku...

I hope you liked it! I'll be updating soon!


	8. Chapter 8

The more I write, the more excited I am about how it's progressing. I hope you guys feel the same way!

* * *

Vegeta was breathing heavily and his entire body was humming with unbound energy. He had been sparring with this mysterious man named Kakarot for the past few hours. They had fought all the way through dinner and now it was almost dark.

Vegeta's entire body ached, but he refused to back down to his new sparring partner. Goku was also breathing hard, but it was clear that he had used up a lot less of his energy than Vegeta. As Goku came at him, Vegeta jumped back; once, twice, until Kakarot reached him.

With a cry of triumph, Goku wrapped his arms around the small child and flung him across the training grounds. Vegeta also cried out as he was tossed across the yard. He landed ungracefully in a pitiful heap and groaned as his mind swirled and began to go dull. He fought hard to remain conscious and once the wave of darkness ended he began to sort out all of his various hurts. Mentally he chastised himself, _you enemies wouldn't be giving you so much time to get your act together. Stop being so weak!_

"Hey, are you alright?" Goku was at his side in an instant; the concern heavy in his voice.

"I'm fine." Vegeta spat out through gritted teeth. He would not let this Third Class Saiyan feel sorry for him. Vegeta's eyes shot open at the thought. _Where did that come from? _

"I'm sorry I threw you so hard." Goku said, laughing in a carefree way. "I was just getting so in to the fight I sort of forgot you were just a kid." He confessed. In fact, this child version of Vegeta fought in almost the exact same style as his adult version. It all seemed subconscious, however. The child's reaction times were slower and his defensive moves were not as immediate as they would have been. The child was also incredibly strong, but as far as Goku could tell, he was unable to reach Super Saiyan level. It was still easy to forget that this was not the same person Goku had been training with for well over a decade now.

Vegeta's chest swelled with pride, but then he frowned. _Just a kid? _"I am not… just a kid." He breathed out heavily.

Goku laughed out loud. "No, I guess you're not." He crouched down and helped the small child up. It was clear that the boy had reached his limits; his body was covered in bruises and cuts, the muscles in his little arms were trembling.

Vegeta tried to push the adult off as he slowly stood. "Leave me alone." He said, his face burning red.

"What have you done to my son?" A sharp and high voice screamed. Goku looked up to see a woman approaching quickly.

The woman pushed past him and scooped up the little prince, who let out a small yelp in protest. "How dare you just barge into my palace and start picking fights with my child?" She accused, pointing a finger at Goku while holding her son in her other arm.

Vegeta's face was burning bright red in embarrassment, but at the same time, he was also clinging to his mother. It seemed that Vegeta's young mind was at war with his young body. Goku noted, with some amusement that Vegeta's tail had wrapped around the queen's waist.

Goku took a long look at the woman before him. She was short and slender, but with strong, dark features. Vegeta actually looked a lot like her. He had her eyes and jaw. Queen Chiara's nose was slightly upturned and her lips were full and had a natural pout which made her look a lot younger than she actually was.. She had a small chest, a narrow waist, but her hips were wide and led to strong legs which were still obvious under her tight dress. Her hair was long and wavy, with a small tiara holding it in place. Overall, she was a beautiful, if not harsh, woman.

"Mother." Vegeta said, still holding onto her. "I need someone to train me; to make me strong."

Chiara looked from her son to the man that could unravel all of her plans if she wasn't careful.

"Yes, you need a trainer. You do not need a stranger who beats you senseless."

Goku laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "We did get a little out of control." He admitted, then realized that he was talking to the queen. He back tracked a little bit and bowed low. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I was waiting to speak with you, but the training field distracted me."

Chiara eyed him suspiciously and pushed her lips together in a thin line. She clearly was not convinced. Goku felt like she might have good reason.

Vegeta tried to push himself away from his mother. He didn't understand why there was so much tension between the two adults. "Mother." He whispered when her grip only tightened. The pressure was starting to hurt him. His tail released her waist and tried to pull her arm away from him.

"I will not have you waltzing in here only so that you can take him from me." Her voice was low, dripping venom. Goku could feel her power rising and he grew nervous. There was something very unsettling about the way she was looking at him; about the way she was gritting her teeth, showing off her sharp canines, like she might try to take a bite out of his throat. He took a step back and raised his hands, almost in defeat.

"Mother!" Vegeta called, now not only in real pain, but also completely confused. _Why would Kakarot take him anywhere? _"You're hurting me." He whimpered softly.

Chiara looked down at her son and completely deflated. Her power level dropped and she let her guard down slightly. "I'm sorry my little prince." She whispered as she loosened her grip considerably.

"Mother, I want Kakarot to be my trainer. He's the only one who is strong enough to make me better."

Goku didn't miss the low growl that came from the queen's throat. He smiled nervously, not looking forward to the conversation that was inevitable.

Chiara set Vegeta on the ground. He wobbled a little bit and clung to her skirts, still a little disoriented from the fight. "It's getting late, little one." She said in a sweet voice. It reminded Goku a lot of the voice Chi Chi used when she was mad and didn't want the kids to know. He winced. "Why don't you go and get ready for bed? I'll be up there to tuck you in as soon as Kakarot and I finish speaking."

Vegeta stood on a stool in his bathroom. He had just finished his bath and had washed all of the dirt off of his body and now all that was left were the bruises and scratches. He touched one of the rawer spots with his soft tail, hoping the fur would soothe his would. He winced; it did not.

He groaned and stretched, trying to look at his back. There was a large bruise over lower part, but what he was more interested in were the large, fresh scars that still covered his upper back and chest.

They were all starting to fade now, with the cream the healer had given his mother to rub over them nightly. She had told him that they were from the accident he had been in, but something seemed wrong. It bothered him that she refused to give him any details of the accident. He growled and punched his fist into the counter out of frustration. _Nothing made any sense!_ Everytime he tried to think about the past everything seemed fuzzy and distant. Not only that, but he was still having dreams about the beautiful blue-haired woman. And now there was this new man, who was so familiar, yet completely foreign. Vegeta liked the man well enough: he seemed to know how to fight really well and was also completely willing to train him. Vegeta just wished that his mother wasn't being so unfair about the whole ordeal. He looked down at his hand, now bloody from the impact with the counter and let out a little sob. At seven, Vegeta was just not capable of processing all of this information. He snuffled, angry at himself for how emotional he was being.

* * *

"If you're not here to take my boy back, then why are you here?" Queen Chiara demanded.

She and Goku had been arguing in circles for almost an hour now and they were both running out of patience. She had not bought his 'here to learn about the culture' story for even a second. It had all been filibustering from then on.

Goku sighed, "Okay, so you obviously know who I am-"

"Obviously." She huffed, crossing her arms.

She looked very much like Vegeta when she did it. Goku laughed a little, but stopped when she shot him a death-glare.

"Listen, Queen Chiara," Goku started afresh, this time being completely serious. "It is true that I came here with the intention of bringing Vegeta home, but that was before I knew that he lost his memory and had been turned back into a child. If you know who I am, then you also know that Vegeta has a family of his own back home, and I came here to bring him home on a promise." He paused, making sure the stubborn queen was still listening. She was. "But, I won't take a child from his mother. He needs you and I can tell that you need him too."

He sighed deeply and pressed on, "But I think he needs me too. He's right, you know, that I'm the only one who can train him. He doesn't even recognize me, you don't have to worry about me taking him back. It wouldn't be fair to anyone."

Queen Chiara considered all that Goku had to say, weighing things out in her mind. From all the time she had spent watching her son interact with him, she knew that he was an honest man.

Eventually she nodded and moved closer to Goku. She stopped when she was only inches away, looking up at him with a fierce look. "Let me make one thing clear to you: if you hurt my son, tell him anything about his past, or you try to take him from me, I will end you." With that, she left the room swiftly, leaving a dazed Goku standing all alone.

* * *

When Chiara slipped into her son's room, she could tell something was wrong immediately. The room was dark and she could hear the soft whimpers of her son coming from the bathroom. She frowned and sent an energy blast towards the light to turn them on. In the soft light she made her way towards the bathroom.

On the floor, her son was curled into a ball, sobbing in a restless sleep. She noticed the bruises and scrapes that covered his body, but doubted that was what had caused his breakdown. He was stronger than that. She knelt down and scooped him up checking him over while she rocked him quietly. "Wake up little one." She cooed.

Vegeta stirred, but did not wake. Chiara settled in on the floor and continued to wake him. As she did, she wondered absently if Vegeta had ever done this with his own son. The thought made her feel sick and she shook her head of it.

Eventually, Vegeta opened his eyes and looked at her, "Momma?" He asked softly.

"Silly little boy." Chiara whispered as she held his bloody hand out. It looked like it needed a good cleaning, but would be fine otherwise. She shuffled closer to the bath, still cradling her son.

As the bath filled with warm, fragrant water, Chiara gathered the soaps and oils for his bath. Vegeta had stopped crying, but now he was just laying against her staring at nothing. "I'm sorry momma." He whispered softly against her. "Everything is so hard."

"I know son. I know." She said and gently set him in the warm water. She gently cleaned his hand and kissed each of his fingers as she went, smiling as she got a soft giggle out of the boy. Soon, Vegeta was completely clean. Chiara reached for a towel and held it out to catch her son as he climbed out of the tub. _It's a good thing I came up here to check_, she thought to herself as she stared at the dirty water in amusement, _Vegeta hasn't quite mastered the art of bathing just yet_.

Chiara dried the little prince off with care and then wrapped his hand in the bandages that were next to the scar-healing cream the healers had given her. Once his hand was cared for, she began applying the cream onto all of the scars that were leftover from when that energy monster on Earth tore him apart. She shook her head of the thought and continued her ministrations.

Vegeta did not say a word the entire time. He only hissed slightly when the cream was applied; it made his skin tingle as the nerves were brought back to life. When he had first been brought to planet Vegeta, he had been covered in scars. Now, several weeks later, only the largest scars remained. She hoped that they would be gone soon enough; she hated the constant reminder of what had happened to her son.

When she was done, she carried him into his bedroom and tucked him into bed.

For a long time she just sat there, watching him and singing soft lullabies. Soon, his eyelids dropped and he fell into a deep sleep. Chiara's tail wrapped around and ran down his face. "Sleep well, my son." She whispered before she left.

That night, Vegeta dreamt of the blue-haired woman again.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I will be updating again tonight (HOPEFULLY).

At this point, I would like to thank you all so much for your continued support and comment, just letting me know that you like my writing has done all the world for my self-esteem. You guys rock!

Washu II and Sky, especially. Repeat commenters are my fav. 3


	9. Chapter 9

The next week passed with relative ease. In the morning, Vegeta was in school. He was being taught not only history, science, and math, but also all of the courtesies a prince should know. His teacher was a shrewd looking man with a long thick beard that was as wild as his hair. He was tall but thin with stooping shoulders and a bent back. Whenever Vegeta answered a question incorrectly or paused for too long, the man would slap Vegeta's tail with a stick, which would always illicit a small shriek of pain.

Goku would stay with Vegeta until history was over, before silently slipping away to explore the palace. Saiyan history was fairly interesting and Goku was happy to learn a little about it while he was here, but Goku was never a scholar and didn't have a very long attention span either. Every day as he would leave, he tried to ignore the scathing look of jealousy his young ward would shoot him. As he wandered, Goku usually found himself in the gardens or the forest. Despite the foreign flowers and animals, they still reminded Goku of home.

After lunch, Vegeta went off to sit in council with his mother. Goku would return to his room then and usually take a cat nap. Goku had no interest in learning the ins and outs of royal life. Goku also had no interest in being anywhere near Queen Chiara. The woman's sharp gaze sent chills down his spin and he avoided her at all costs. Goku had no doubt that he was physically stronger than the woman, but she became very territorial around him and Goku didn't want to give her any further reasons to dislike him.

Sometime during the afternoon, Vegeta would come into his room, ready for training. They would then train until dinner. After dinner, Vegeta would either practice his reading with his mother or go directly to bed.

This afternoon, Goku was napping soundly when he felt a tiny weight on his chest. Before he opened his eyes, he felt some soft fur poke at his nose. He opened his eyes to see Vegeta sitting on his chest, tail swaying slowly in front of Goku's face.

"Uh… hello." Goku said and smiled. Vegeta didn't say anything as he watched Goku with narrow eyes. "What's up buddy?" He asked, starting to get nervous under the child's intense glare.

"Everytime I sleep I see a blue haired woman." He said quietly. "Is she an angel?"

Goku blinked a few times in amazement. _Vegeta was having dreams about Bulma! He hadn't completely forgotten. There was still hope._ In excitement, Goku sat up, which caused the smaller Saiyan to go tumbling from the bed.

Vegeta stared at him petulantly from the ground, tail thrashing behind him angrily. "Hey!" He whined as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sorry!" Goku said and laughed, too happy to really care about the pride of a small child. "Tell me more about this blue haired woman."

Vegeta stood and crawled back into the bed. He sat staring at Goku for a long time. He looked uncertain and maybe a little afraid. "I… uh." He paused and looked down, completely unsure of himself. His face was the picture of conflict.

"Go on." Goku encouraged, knowing full well how difficult it was to make Vegeta talk. Somethings never changed.

"My mom says they're just dreams." Vegeta said softly, "But I see her every night. She makes me feel safe… It's like, in the dreams I'm home even though I'm someplace I've never been before. Then when I wake up and I'm here, but it doesn't feel like home. _This_ is home." It all came out in a rush, and when Vegeta was done speaking, he looked a little startled at his openness.

Goku looked at Vegeta for a long time. He wanted to spill all the beans about what was happening, but he bit his tongue, knowing that it wasn't the time to do so. After a pause, he said, "This is something you may not be able to understand until you're older, but home is where your heart is; not where your mind tells you it ought to be. I don't know who that woman is, but I think if it _feels_ like she's someone important, then she must be. Listen to your heart." Goku winced slightly at the words, feeling like they were corny even for him, but they were true.

Vegeta scrunched his face up and thumped his tail against the bed. "It's time to train." He said, leaping towards the door. Apparently, that was too much emotion for the prince. Goku shook his head and climbed out of bed; already wearing his training clothes.

* * *

Chiara watched her son train from the balcony of her room. It should have filled her heart with pride to see her son so young and yet so strong. She was a Saiyan after all, and strength in battle was the best thing a parent could wish for. However, her mind was occupied by other thoughts.

This week had gone smoothly enough, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that Kakarot had ulterior motives with her son.

"This could not have come at a worse time." She said, turning around to look at the messenger who had just arrived from the south. Her childhood friend had just given birth to another baby and had requested an audience with the Queen. Chiara couldn't say no to her friend; in fact, she was actually very happy that she was going to see her, but she really wished that the baby had waited just a little.

"My Queen?" The messenger asked nervously.

"Let Stana know that I will leave in two days for her home. I must take care of some business here first."

The messenger nodded and left quickly, preparing for the cross-planet flight. The royal palace was at the north end of the massive continent which spread over almost the entire planet. Stana lived in the south, where she and Chiara had grown up together.

When Chiara returned her attention to the training ground, she found that it was empty. Apparently, it was dinner time. With a sigh, Chiara turned and left the room, heading for the small, personal dining room that she shared with Vegeta and Kakarot.

They were already there, waiting for her when she arrived. Vegeta was fidgeting in his seat, impatiently waiting for dinner to start. Kakarot was doing only slightly better in hiding his hunger. She took her seat at the head of the table and looked over her two companions. Neither of them had bathed after their training and she could smell them both.

"How many times must I ask you two to _clean _yourselves before dinner?" She asked, wrinkling her nose in exaggerated disgust at their uncouthness. The first course was brought in and laid out before them.

"It's his fault, momma!" Vegeta burst out, momentarily forgetting himself. "He said he was too hungry to bathe before dinner, ma'am." He added, a lot quieter. When the first dish was placed in front of him, his stomach growled loudly, betraying his words.

Queen Chiara laughed softly at Kakarot's startled face and her son's antics. "Oh is that so?" She asked, dipping the bread at the table into the spicy beef stew they were eating. "Perhaps I should require your shadow here to stay for your finishing classes in the morning?"

"Hey!" Kakarot protested and shook his head wildly, until Chiara's light laugh stopped him. When he realized she was joking, he laughed too.

Vegeta looked between the two adults and laughed a little as well. There had been a little less tension everyday between the two people, but this was the first time they had truly seemed at ease with one another. As the three hungry Saiyans got to work on their food, they fell into a good-natured silence.

It wasn't until the plates of their main course were being cleared that anyone spoke. "I'll be leaving the palace for a week." Chiara announced as she picked some meat from her teeth.

"Why?" Vegeta looked startled at the thought that he would be without his mother for an entire week.

Goku quietly thanked Kami at the announcement. He could dig a little deeper about the Bulma dreams if Chiara wasn't there to keep a watchful eye over the entire situation.

"My good friend from childhood has given birth to her fourth child. It is very uncommon and I haven't seen her in so long. I'm just paying her a visit to congratulate her and catch up with her."

Goku's ears perked up. "Your _childhood _friend just had another child?" Goku knew well enough not to ask if she wasn't a little old to be having children, but the implications were still there. Sure, Chiara looked like she was only 30, but Goku knew she had to be at least 60, if not older.

Chiara's eyes narrowed, but instead of taking offence at his ignorance, she simply brushed it off and explained. "First, I think it should be mentioned that I was only sixteen years old when Vegeta was born; his father was almost 40. Secondly, Saiyan woman have a far longer life expectancy than their male counterparts. We are able to continue giving birth until we are well over 100."

Goku blanched. "Why?"

"Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, more men are born to the Saiyan race than women. Having such a shortage of females required us to take a second, sometimes even a third, mate after the first one died. With all of the constant warfare, the practice of young warriors marrying older women was common; it was actually necessary for the continuation of our species."

Goku nodded. "I see." He said, a whole group of questions were swirling around his head, but he held his tongue. He didn't want to ask anything inappropriate in front of Vegeta.

Suddenly, a tray of desserts were brought out and Goku grinned in excitement. He had grown rather fond of the sweet custards that were in constant supply on planet Vegeta. Goku devoured his quickly and let out a hearty laugh when it was finished. "I could eat those all day!" He exclaimed happily.

In the corner of his, Goku noticed that Vegeta had barely touched his dessert. That never happened. "Hey, what's wrong buddy?" Goku asked, bringing all the attention to the young prince.

Vegeta's face burned red at the gazes from Kakarot and his mother. "Nothing is the matter." He said, pushing his food away angrily and crossing his arms. "I'm full." He announced, biting his lip. He refused to say more, but he quietly wondered, _was his mother planning on marrying another man? Was she planning on having more children that she would love more than him? Would he still be king? _These unanswered questions made his stomach churn and his head hurt. He wanted very badly to leave the table, but waited until his mother finished and stood.

Queen Chiara escorted her son to his room, trying to gauge what was the matter with the young prince. It was so hard to tell. The boy processed all of his information like the seven year old that he was, but seemed to struggle with questions that only an adult would think of. She knew it was a side effect of him returning to the form of a child, but that knowledge did not make it any easier for her to get inside his head.

Chiara bathed him in silence, then rubbed the cream over the almost completely faded scars. When it was all finished, she carried Vegeta to his bed and tucked him in. "I love you, my little prince. I'm so proud of the man, of the _king_, I know you'll become." She kissed his forehead softly before leaving the room.

* * *

Hope you enjoy! As always, please review!


	10. Chapter 10

I am sorry that it took so long for me to upload, I have been having some computer problems. I'll be uploading another chapter (computer permitting) tomorrow as well!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chiara and Stana sat in lounge chairs on the pavilion of Stana's home. They sipped on summer wine and looked out over the ocean, whose waves crashed against the cliff which the pavilion rested on. Every once and awhile, a soft spray of salty water would wet the women's skin. Neither minded much, both having grown up on the coast. Each woman wore a simple cloth sarong which covered only what was necessary and allowed their exposed skin to be warmed by the shining sun.

Chiara laughed softly as Stana retold the story of her youngest son's birth. "Were you really at a ball when he came?" She asked, incredulous.

Stana nodded and took a sip of the sweet beverage that was in her goblet. "After three, I think my body has just forgotten how traumatic childbirth can be. I had no idea I was so close, so I didn't think anything of dancing, until all of a sudden I had a child coming out of me!"

Stana had given birth a week ago, but was already completely recovered from the experience. It was a combination of Saiyan strength and medicine. It was a testament to Stana's personal strength as well.

"He was born with a power level of 105." She added, beaming with pride.

"Not bad." Chiara agreed, remembering that neither of her son's power level had been anywhere near that, at 85 for Vegeta and only 40 for Tarble.

"Of course, we were all surprised by that type of power level, seeing as he's the youngest. We thought he would be the weakest, but it was quite the opposite as it turns out! Still despite that power level, we'll let him chose what he wants to do with his life. It is the luxury of being the youngest son."

"You'd better not tell Karn." Chiara warned, laughing a little. "He might not take kindly to knowing his baby brother was born with a higher power level than he."

Karn was Stana's oldest child. He was now a fully grown man and was just a few years older than Vegeta had been before his transformation. Chiara was fairly certain that Karn had had a wife and child, but could not be certain.

"Oh, Karn is fully grown and has other problems to worry about." Stana said, dismissing Chiara's jest. There was something curious in her eyes, but Chiara ignored it and took another sip of her wine.

"I really did think that Moira would be your last." Chiara said thoughtfully. While Stana was still in her prime of childbearing, her husband was getting old. Soon, he would die. Chiara wondered if Stana planned on remarrying afterwards. She was one of the most fertile women Chiara had known, so it would only make sense. This latest child was actually Stana's fifth, but the one between Karn and his younger brother Keryn had been killed during the fight with Frieza. It still made Chiara sad to think about all the innocent lives that Frieza had taken before he tried to destroy the entire planet. Whatever she had to say against Kakarot, she still could never completely hate the man for killing off that monster.

Stana nodded in agreement. "Everyone was surprised when I got pregnant with her, do you remember? They kept saying that I was having children at the same time my children were!"

Chiara remembered now. Stana _had_ been pregnant when Karn's wife was pregnant. There had been complications during the birth that took not only the child's life, but Karn's wife's as well. It had been such a rare complication that everyone was shocked and devastated

"How old is Moira now?" Chiara asked. Stana was a strong woman and if she still felt sorrow for losing a grandchild and daughter-in-law, she certainly was not showing it now.

"She turns 13 in just a month." Stana said, staring at Chiara long and hard. The light-mood of the conversation had suddenly turned very serious. Chiara wondered what ulterior motives Stana might have had in inviting her here.

"My Queen," Stana started with the formality, which Chiara knew meant business. "You and I have been friends all of our lives. We grew up together, became women together, and stayed strong together through all of the hardships that life has thrown to us." She gave Chiara a knowing look, reminding her how Stana had been there for Chiara as she mourned the loss of her husband and sons.

"Let's not beat around the bush, Stana." Chiara said, feeling uneasy about what was happening.

"My family has always been a friend to yours. _I _have always been a friend to _you_. I hope you know that I would never ask anything of you if I thought it would not benefit you as well."

"Spit it out." Chiara demanded, agitated. "I did not realize that the friendship you had shown me in my time of mourning would one day be called upon as a favor."

Stana back-tracked a little, realizing how defensive her friend had gotten. "That is not my intention at all, Chiara." She said, soothingly. "It is just… I wanted to talk to you about bringing our two families closer. Making them one."

It took Chiara a moment to realize what Stana was saying. "You… are you asking to marry Vegeta to Moira?" She asked, setting the goblet of wine down on a clear glass table. She stared at her friend in shock. _Could that be? _

Stana shrugged, but didn't deny it at all. "She is almost a grown woman and I have not promised her to anyone. There are no men worthy of her; she is strong, intelligent, and beautiful. She comes from a high family and deserves only the best."

"I thought you were planning on her becoming a Guardian?" Chiara asked. Normally, only the second daughter of a family became a Guardian. It was rare for families to have one daughter, let alone two. That was why it was only an honor for families that could produce two females to have one of them become a Guardian. However, higher class families could opt to send their first daughter to the Guardians if they wanted.

Stana shrugged. "That was never really my dream, nor Moira's, for that matter. But it was starting to look more likely the older she got. Then Vegeta came back home."

Stana was staring at Chiara intensely. Chiara frowned and thought about it. In all of the planning for her son's future, she had not given much thought to his marriage. Of course, as king, he would need to take a mate of the highest rank. It was only if he had reached a certain age without making any political agreement, did the old tradition of fight-to-the-death come into play.

That was how she married King Vegeta all those years ago when she was only twelve. He had been the veritable bachelor until he reached the age of 35. When he had, a planet-wide announcement had been made. There would be a tournament for all the women who wished to fight for the hand of the king. Chiara was the youngest competitor by far, but she had already started her cycles and was legally an adult by Saiyan standings. The tournament had been vicious and in the end, she had only won by stabbing herself through the chest with a long sword to pierce the heart of the other woman who had locked her in a death grip. It had almost killed her, but when she woke up, she was informed that she had won and as soon as she was well, she would be married. It was the happiest day of her life, until four years later when she had given birth to Vegeta.

"My Queen, what is going on in that mind of yours?" Stana asked, still staring at Chiara.

Chiara shook her head, coming back to the here and now. "That is something… that I will need some time to think about." She answered, her mind still rattling. Moira would be the perfect wife to Vegeta. She was just not ready to think about it yet.

"Understandable. Vegeta is still a child. Besides," Stana added, her eyes filled with mischief, "maybe it's not his wedding you should be thinking about."

The comment hit Chiara like a swift kick to the face. She turned to stare at her friend, who was laughing lightly as she finished off her wine. "Just what do you mean?" Chiara choked out.

"Kern just mentioned your beauty the last time he visited and it got me thinking." Stana shrugged ambivalently, "You know, he is at a fine age to become your second husband. And he's no threat to Vegeta. Kern has no desire to usurp your son; he only loves to fight and train. Anything physical is right up his road, he's never been too big on the aristocratic duties that befell him as the oldest child. Although, I'm sure that if he took you as a wife, he would learn to love all the physical benefits that came along with it."

Stana only added the last thought to make Chiara's face burn. For all of her dignity, the queen couldn't help but bury her face in her hands as he friend laughed and laughed. When she finally had regained composure, she took a large swallow of her wine and shook her empty glass in the air.

A servant rushed over and refilled both of the women's wine glasses before rushing away again. "I don't think you should have any more." Chiara jokingly said to her friend as they both took a sip. "You are beginning to become too bold."

"Oh, even after four children I can still drink you under the table." Stana said and stuck out her tongue, eliciting a laugh from Chiara again.

If Chiara were being honest, the thought of marrying again was a lot less terrifying than the thought of marrying her son off. She had been waging a war against herself for decades now, trying to decide if she wanted to remarry at all. She knew that for the kingdom it was the wisest choice; she was still perfectly healthy and would be able to produce another heir to the throne. She would finally convince herself that taking a second husband was the right choice, but then before she announced her decision, she would swing back to hoping that one day the Guardians would agree to bring her son home. For over thirty years she had been fighting this battle, but now her son was home, and the idea of finding a husband had been abandoned completely.

"Oh my goodness, you're actually thinking about it!" Stana said and erupted in laughter.

"Could you imagine? You'd be my mother-in-law!" Chiara said, joining in her friend's laughter. It felt so good to be with her again. This was the first time in a long time that queen of the Saiyans felt completely relaxed.

* * *

_Vegeta stood, squared off with Kakarot. Both men were pulsing with energy and their hair was golden. _

_Vegeta let out a roar and fired a blast at Kakarot, who dodged it barely. He returned fire as he flew away defensively. _

"_Wow, Vegeta! It's unreal fighting another Super Saiyan!" Kakarot called as he flew closer. The two locked in hand-to-hand combat for a few moments, before blasting away from one another again._

_Vegeta laughed as he tried to catch his breath. "I can tell you've gotten lazy with your training." Pretty soon, Vegeta was going to catch up and be just as strong as Kakarot. "You'd better watch out."_

_After a few more minutes of fighting, Vegeta heard a familiar voice call his name. "Vegeta! Is this really how you want to spend your birthday?"_

_The two Saiyans turned to see Bulma standing below them. In her arms was a toddler with lavender hair. Vegeta felt his heart swell with pride at the sight of the pair. "Leave me alone, woman." He answered brusquely. Despite his rough response, he powered down and landed in front of them._

_Bulma smiled in triumph as Vegeta scooped their son out of her arms. "What is it exactly that you think I should be doing on my birthday, Bulma?" He asked as he bounced the little boy._

_Kakarot landed next to him, sensing that their fight was over. Bulma had asked him to distract the prince long enough for her to set up his party. He was grinning from ear to ear, thinking about all the food that must be waiting inside the house._

"_First, I think you two should probably hit the showers." Bulma said, prying her son out of her husband's arms. "Goku, I asked you to distract him, not beat him up." She whispered, trying to make it so Vegeta couldn't hear. Unfortunately, the prince had._

_Vegeta whirled around and looked at the two. "Kakarot didn't beat me up!" He said angrily and then paused as the entirety of the statement sunk in. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the two. "What do you mean 'distract him'?" He demanded._

* * *

Cliffhanger!

I really wanted to flesh-out Chiara a little bit as a character. She was originally just supposed to be 'the bad guy', but the more I wrote, the more I wanted to expand on her and make her more relatable. Let me know what you guys think of her, please!

As always, please review! :)


	11. Chapter 11

Vegeta sat up in his bed, his heart going a million miles a minute. _Goku. Bulma._ He remembered the blue haired woman with sudden clarity. _How could he have been so stupid? _

Vegeta pushed his covers away and groaned in pain. He didn't understand why he was so sore. It felt like every bone in his body was broken and all of his muscles were shredded and torn. It wasn't because of his training, that never caused him to be this sore afterwards. It felt like every bone in his his body had been broken and every muscle had been ripped apart. The pain was excruciating. Without pausing to think, Vegeta flew out of his room and down the hall. He had to find answers in the only person that he knew would have them: Kakarot.

Like he had done almost everyday since the other Saiyan had arrived at the palace, Vegeta barged into the room and jumped onto the man's bed to wake him. He ignored the startled look on the guard's face as he did so.

"Wake up Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted, not noticing the sudden difference in proportion. "GOKU!" He should louder, completely impatient.

Goku shot awake as a heavy mass landed next to him. He heard his name being called, his _real_ name, and knew that something horrible must have happened. When he opened his eyes, he almost had a heart attack. Vegeta was sitting in his bed, rage radiating off of him.

But this was not the boy Goku had come to expect in the past weeks. It was not the adult either. This Vegeta was somewhere in the middle. He had grown almost a foot in height and looked like he was about 14.

"Vegeta." Goku choked out in astonishment. _What the hell had happened? _

"You knew about her." Vegeta seethed angrily, his power level rising exponentially as he stared down this imposter. "You knew about Bulma!"

As he shouted it, he reached a power level he hadn't been able to since his transformation. He turned full Super Saiyan.

Goku jumped out of bed and away from the distraught teen. He recognized that he was in real trouble here; for more than one reason. Vegeta was furious at him and looked like he was ready to kill something. But what was even more terrifying was the idea of Queen Chiara returning to find out that her son had aged seven years in a week. Goku knew that eventually Vegeta would calm down and not harm him, but the queen? No, the queen was absolutely going to kill Goku. He swallowed hard. The fear prevented Goku to realize what this might mean for his plans on taking Vegeta home.

"Listen, just calm down, okay?" Goku said, trying to placate the furious prince. "If you calm down, then I'll explain everything to the best of my abilities."

Vegeta heard what Goku had said, but ignored it. _How could he believe this man who had already lied to him so much? _"Don't tell me to calm down!" He raged angrily, still in Super Saiyan form. "You lied to me, you kept secrets from me! I _trusted _you!" He spat out in hurt.

Goku winced at the accusations. They were all true and he did feel like a jerk for hiding the truth from him. "Only because your mother made me promise." He said, defending himself. The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

With a scream of rage, Vegeta threw himself at the older man. He was running on pure anger and his techniques were slopping, however, he was still able to land a few solid punches before Goku also powered up and began to counterattack.

While Vegeta was trying to kill, Goku was only interested in wearing the boy out until he had no more energy to fight with. It didn't take too long and soon, Vegeta had reverted to his normal black-haired state. He was shaking with emotion and tears were running down his face. The exhausted and sore teen dropped to his hands and knees and panted heavily as he stared into the rug of the now ruined room.

"Vegeta." Goku said sternly, using his best parenting voice that he could muster.

After a few more moments of breathing heavily, Vegeta looked up at him, the pain and hurt clear in his dark eyes.

Goku leaned down in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes. "I made a promise to your mother." He said again, bending the truth, he hoped for the last time. "The truth of your past is something that you have to discover on your own. I can't help you get there, you must do that yourself." It wasn't exactly what he had promised the queen, but Goku certainly wasn't going to _stop_ Vegeta if he was remembering everything on his own.

"Yes, I know who Bulma is. Yes, I knew who you were too. But that's all I'm going to say. I'm your friend, Vegeta, don't forget that. I'm on your side."

Vegeta continued to breath heavily. He was so sore. His heart was beating so fast that he felt like it might explode. _What was happening to him?_ His mind was spinning as he went over the past few weeks. He had always thought that his mother hadn't been giving him the whole truth. That would certainly explain why she was so untrusting when it came to Kakarot. Or was it, "Goku?"

"Yes, Vegeta?" Goku had to admit, it was really weird hearing Vegeta call him Goku rather than Kakarot. He had to say, he didn't really like it.

"We probably shouldn't tell my mother, should we?"

Goku laughed and shook his head. "No, I don't think she would take it very well if she found out. But… I don't know how we're going to explain this growth spurt to her."

* * *

Chiara hugged Stana fiercely as they said their goodbyes. The week had gone by far too quickly, but Stana had promised that once her baby was a little older, they would come and visit the palace. Chiara had readily agreed, feeling like she needed her childhood friend now more than ever.

"And if you're lucky, I'll bring both Karn and Moira." Stana had said with a wink.

"See that you do." Chiara agreed with a wink of her own. Over the week, Stana had continued to work away at the idea of marrying into the family through Chiara, her son, or maybe even both! Having the opportunity to get to know Stana's daughter Moira had actually warmed her to the idea a little bit. The girl really was everything her mother had claimed. She was well spoken, beautiful, intelligent, and a fierce fighter.

Chiara turned away from her friend's home and walked down the path a little bit, her royal attendees following behind her. With one last glance, she took off into the sky, heading for home. Her spirits were so high that she didn't think anything could bring them down.

* * *

"So, remember what we talked about?" Goku asked Vegeta quietly, as they waited for his mother to arrive. It would be any minute now.

"Yes." Vegeta said, annoyed that Goku was asking him. _Again_.

Goku just blinked at him, expectantly. Vegeta sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I suddenly aged. I have no memory of my past. Kakarot hasn't said anything." He paused and crossed his arms. "And I certainly don't know that my mother is a scheming, lying _bitch_." He spat out.

Goku frowned and stared at the teenager. "Don't say that last part. She's still your mom and she's doing all of this out of love."

Vegeta snorted, clearly not believing him.

Goku could sense the queen's power level before he could see her, but it made his heart beat nervously all the same. He looked over to the young prince and saw that his nervously moving tail was betraying his stoic features. It actually made Goku relax a little bit, knowing that Vegeta was nervous too.

Chiara's mood dropped like a stone when she caught sight of the two Saiyans. Something was wrong. Vegeta stood almost a full foot taller than he had before. What had happened? Whatever had caused him to grow so much was not natural.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded as she approached the two of them. Although her eyes were on her son, the question was directed at Goku.

"We were hoping you could answer that question, _mother_." Vegeta said with a stony voice before Goku could answer. His arms were crossed defensively over his chest and he was glaring at the woman. He had wrapped his tail around his waist, preventing it from betraying his emotions, but Goku was pretty sure he could see the thing _shaking_ with fury.

She took a step back at the ice in her son's voice and the fire in his eye's. It completely deflated her.

"He just woke up like this!" Goku jumped in quickly, hoping to calm down the two. It was easy to see how they were related.

"Yes, mother, I just woke up like this. One minute, I go to bed as a seven year old, the next I wake up as a teenager. How. Curious." Vegeta bit out; his tail was acting with it's own mind and was now jerking in agitation. Goku was pretty sure that he could see a vein pumping in the teen's forehead. Goku knew that Vegeta needed to calm down, or else this would turn violent.

Chiara was also breathing heavily, trying to give nothing away. She could tell that her son was furious, but she refused to reveal anything if she didn't have to. "We will… have to talk to the healers about this. Maybe something in all of the restorative medicines they used caused you to grow unnaturally fast." She said slowly, tasting the lie on her lips.

There was a heavy pause as Vegeta stared her down.

"That sounds like a great idea. Why don't you and I head down there now?" Goku said, again trying to break the tension. "Vegeta missed some class to come and wait for you to get home. I'm sure that his tutor would love it if he returned to his lessons."

Vegeta nodded at the suggested. "Sounds like a great idea, good seeing you mother." He said and turned, his whole body still radiating anger.

Chiara and Goku watched Vegeta leave and waited in silence for a long time, before the queen turned to Goku. "What does he know?" She hissed.

Goku had prepared the story, but it didn't make lying any easier. "As far as I know, he doesn't know anything. He said that he's been having weird dreams, but I've been trying to write them off as nothing more than dreams as much as you have. I haven't told him anything and he still doesn't remember me."

Goku made sure to stare the woman right in the eyes as he said this, so she would believe his lie. So far, it seemed she did. "I think what you've got to start dealing with is the reality that whatever magic you used to make him a child again is wearing off."

* * *

_DRAMAAAAA!_

As many of you have accurately assumed, things are indeed going to get messy if Vegeta ever gets all of his memories back. However, the road to that point is long and windy. Hope y'all enjoyed! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the late update! I have been pretty busy, but I've been writing all day and have a few more chapters banged out.

* * *

The next few days were like a never ending nightmare. Tensions were high, not only between Vegeta and his mother, but between everyone else, it seemed. One afternoon, Goku was woken up from his mid-afternoon nap by the sound of arguing. The two guards who stood outside his door were in a full-blown discussion which was about to turn physical. The two men were normally so quiet that Goku often forgot they were there at all.

Goku had tried to intercede until the two agitated men turned on him. He raised his hands in defeat before retreating back into his room to wait for Vegeta. Vegeta was coasting on auto-pilot it seemed. Every morning he easily slipped into his routine without a word. He lips were set in a thin line and his brows were furrowed in concentration. Every time Goku tried to poke gently at what was going on in the teen's mind, he was met with a cold shoulder or an icy retort.

It was becoming abundantly clear that Vegeta was still mad at him for keeping secrets. Despite Vegeta being angry, he didn't question Goku any further. Instead, he basically ignored the man. The teen had basically become a mute around either Goku or Chiara. Goku honestly didn't think he had heard four words out of the kid in as many days. It was beginning to freak him out.

Just like clockwork, every afternoon Vegeta would come to his room with a sour expression on his face. Goku had tried to make light of the situation the first couple of days, making jokes about hormonal teenagers and his need for a handy sock or some acne cream. Vegeta had not found it funny.

Their training had been fairly lax since his transformation. Vegeta wouldn't admit to it, of course, but Goku knew that he was pretty sore from all of the bones and muscles in his body growing.

Today, Vegeta showed up wearing his normal training clothes, but he had a strange look on his face. Something was troubling him.

"What's up?" Goku asked in a light-hearted manner. He had decided on the tactic of faux-ignorance.

Vegeta walked past him and looked around the room, as if someone else might be there. Before Vegeta had his growth spurt, he never had waited for Goku to allow him entrance into his room. Like an impatient child, he had always rushed in and usually landed himself on the bed.

Now, Vegeta seemed hyper-aware of his body space and never entered the room without permission. Similarly, Vegeta never got close to Goku unless they were sparring.

After a long pause, Vegeta cleared his throat and mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Goku asked and leaned forward.

"I need you to show me how to shave." Vegeta blurted, his face turning red.

Goku blinked a few times, looking over the teenaged Saiyan. Goku hadn't started growing facial hair until he was almost twenty, but he could see the beginnings of five o'clock shadow starting to appear. _Huh_.

"Yeah, okay Vegeta." He said and turned to go into the bathroom. He could feel Vegeta following him. In the bathroom, Goku grabbed two razors and handed one to Vegeta, who eyed it suspiciously.

Goku had luckily had this dad moment once before and was well prepared to explain. As he showed Vegeta the ropes of shaving, his thoughts were drawn back to Gohan's 18th birthday. An almost identical moment had taken place with his own son. It was indescribably weird to now be experiencing the same thing with his old friend.

Vegeta's sharp cry of pain brought him from his nostalgia. "Oh, yeah. Be careful around your jaw and nose." Vegeta nodded and continued on, moving slowly and more carefully. Soon he was finished and washing his freshly shaved face. He smiled a little in relief as he looked in the mirror, clearly preferring this look.

"Thank you." He said, looking up at Goku in a way that made his stomach twist. Goku was once again overcome with deja vu. 14-year-old Vegeta and 14-year-old Gohan had no similar physical traits besides the dark, wild hair, but the look his eyes was identical to the one Gohan had given him. Vegeta was looking at him like a son looks at his father. Goku knew, without looking at the mirror, that he was returning the look with that of a father to his son. He felt a swell of pride too and started to grin and laugh happily.

"Of course!"

Vegeta set the razor down and frowned, before shaking his head. He laughed bitterly. "A week ago I didn't even know how to _bathe_, now I'm learning how to shave."

Goku grimaced and put his hand on the young teen's shoulder. "Listen, I know you kind of hate me and your mother right now because of everything that we've been keeping from you, but we both have our reasons. Your mom loves you a lot and I made a promise to her. Despite all of that, I hope you know that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Goku hoped that that was a promise he could keep.

While Goku was talking, Vegeta's face had taken on a weird look. Goku had not thought about his wording.

"You are not my father!" Vegeta roared, slamming his fist into the counter. "Do not ever think that you are anything more to me than my trainer." He pushed past Goku and walked quickly towards the door. He was radiating anger and hurt.

Goku watched him leave, completely confused. "Was it something I said?" Goku asked the empty room. He hadn't meant to upset the hormonal teenager. He scratched his head as he thought over their entire conversation.

Vegeta stormed down the dark hallway, ignoring everyone that hastily stood at attention as he walked past them. His mind was churning rapidly. _Just who did Kakarot think he was?! __That third class Saiyan was getting way too casual with him. He was the prince of all Saiyans! He was going to be king soon enough._

He didn't know why the comment 'me and your mother' had made him so angry, but it did. He understood what Kakarot had meant, but the phrase drove him crazy. He wondered if it was because up until the point, he had viewed his mother and Kakarot on opposing sides. He had often felt like they were pulling him in one direction or another. He had, up until now, been willing to follow Kakarot's guidance, somehow trusting him more than his mother. But now Kakarot was on his mother's side? Ever since he had had his growth spurt, nothing seemed certain anymore. He let out a low growl at the thought of how foolish he had been.

Maybe his trust in his trainer was misplaced and Kakarot was just using him to get to his mother? Vegeta had a hard time convincing himself that Kakarot had any devious ulterior intentions. He was so happy and carefree, but he was hiding something. Up until now, Vegeta had thought it had something to do with his sudden growth spurt, or the uncertainties surrounding the injury he had suffered shortly before Kakarot had shown up.

Vegeta found himself in the courtyard that was opposite the palace training grounds. He had walked the length of the massive palace as he fumed. Shaking his head, Vegeta headed towards the fountain that was the main focus of the courtyard.

He looked at his reflection and tentatively rubbed his hand over his smooth cheeks, feeling stupid. He was the prince of all Saiyans and he was acting like a little girl. In frustration, he slapped the water and turned around. With a blast of energy he took off and flew over the palace walls. He didn't care if he was being a hormonal teen, as Kakarot had jokingly told him he was, he needed to get away from the palace, away from his mother, and away from Kakarot. A few days in the wilderness, alone, would help him.

It was what he had always done back on… back with. The thought that had come so naturally to him stopped suddenly and left him feeling even more confused and vulnerable than before.

* * *

Queen Chiara had been running around for the past few days, trying to prepare the palace. Her headache was growing by the minute. It seemed like more and more, the timing could not be worse. She wanted to find her son, to hold him tight and make him understand that she loved him and only had _his_ best interests in mind, but there was no time for that. Not yet.

Between all of the fights that had been breaking out due to the agitated Saiyans, and all of the surrounding villages needing things, Chiara hadn't even seen her son. She had a feeling that he was also trying to avoid her, but normally she would seek him out to at least say goodnight. She sighed, taking comfort in the fact that it would only be a few more tense days before everything went back to normal.

"Queen." Came an annoyingly familiar voice. She looked up to see Kakarot standing at the entrance to her throne room.

"What is it?" She snapped, a bit more sharply than she meant. She sighed again and tried to calm herself down. There was no point in taking her failures out on him.

Kakarot grimaced and walked closer to her. Something was seriously the matter and Chiara's curiosity was growing. She knew that he didn't have a tail and his emotions were therefore unaffected, but that didn't mean that something couldn't have happened with another Saiyan, or with Vegeta.

"Where is Vegeta?" She demanded, her heart beating rapidly. Vegeta didn't know that the full moon was upon them, if something had happened… she didn't want to think about it.

"I don't know. He came into my room and asked me how to shave, then just freaked out at something I said and ran away. His emotions have been all over the place. I think growing up so quick has done a lot more damage than we had originally thought. Listen, I know you're busy being the Queen of the entire planet and all, but remember that he's your son. He needs you."

Shaving? Chiara blinked a few times, trying to wrap her mind around that. Of course; the moon. She shook her head and looked at Kakarot, "I'm sure you've noticed how tense everyone is getting. It's not just me and my hormonal son. The moon will be full in just two days. Not only does the full moon make us as a people more aggressive, but the preparations also cause a great deal of stress."

Goku blinked a few times, absorbing the information she was telling him. _A full moon?_ _Was this something they had to deal with every month? _

Sensing his confusion, Chiara shook her head. "Planet Vegeta's moon only becomes full once every ten years. The power that we celebrate during wartime or when taking over a planet is somewhat of a nightmare on ours."

Goku's mind began to put all the pieces together as he thought of what it really might mean for an entire planet of Saiyans to be affected by the full moon. "I think nightmare might be a little bit of an understatement."

Chiara gave a short, humorless laugh. "As you can imagine, I've been fairly busy dealing with all of this. I shouldn't have spent so much time at my friend Stana's home." She said, feeling stupid for procrastinating on such important preparations. "Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to sit down with my son and deal with our problems. I want to; I know I _need_ to, but as Queen, there are just some times that I must put the needs of my people before my own."

Goku nodded, finally understanding. Suddenly a spike of panic when up his spine. Vegeta was all alone, confused and angry, and there was a full moon in two days. Goku swallowed, hard. "We need to find Vegeta!"

* * *

Uh ooooh! Hopefully Goku will find Vegeta before it hits the fan!

Also, I wanted to let all of my faithful reviewers know that I am in love with the supportive comments that I'm getting and all of the advice and observations have been really helpful as well. I wish I could reply to each and everyone of you, but that would take an entire chapter in and of itself. So instead, I want to let you know that I am listening and reading all of them. I have gone back through a few of the chapters and tried to add to them. I also don't want to give anything away, but you're right... things will get messy _if _Vegeta ever remembers. ;)

Washu II: Actually, I was planning on writing a sequel of sorts to this story about what was happening on Earth. I did originally want to add some Earth scenes, but there is a pretty epic twist at the end of this story which will be super anti-climactic if I added Earth scenes.


	13. Chapter 13

This was originally one really long chapter, but I broke it up into two just because of length. Therefore, I will be updating in fairly short order! Enjoy!

* * *

Vegeta violently gutted the fish he had caught in the lake that was about five miles from the palace grounds. In his haste, Vegeta had left without getting any sort of supplies. Still, he knew how to fend for himself. He had already made a small fire using a quick energy blast and was planning on cooking this fish over that fire. After the fish was gutted and cleaned, he split it open and grabbed the herbs that he had found and rubbed them into the flanks of his soon-to-be meal. After that, he pushed the sides back together and stuck the whole thing on a skewer and over the fire.

He couldn't help feeling proud of himself at his craftsmanship. He wasn't surprised by his ability to catch wild life, but the ability to string together some herbs to make his food flavorful was surprising. _When had he learned that?_

_A high voice answered his own question. Bulma's beautiful face appeared in his mind. She was laughing and leaning against the kitchen counter of their home. Her smile brightened the entire place._

"_Who knew you were such a chief!" She said, leaning closer to him. She planted a kiss on his cheek while she stole a piece of broccoli from the vegetable medley he was sauteing._

_He slapped her hand with the spatula and laughed in triumph as she cried out. _

"_Jerk." She said, with a pronounced pout, but he ignored her and went back to his cooking. _

"_It's something I've always loved to do." He admitted, giving Bulma a look. They had been together for just over a year now and he still found it hard to share with her. He wanted to make sure she was actually listening. His eyes locked with her's. "Every planet we went to… if we didn't destroy it, I would always try to learn everything I could about their culinary styles before we moved on. Earth has some really amazing food to offer. I have been trying to learn a little bit of everything. I'm glad that I have someone besides myself to cook for." Vegeta decided not to try and explain the importance of food-sharing in Saiyan culture to Bulma. He had already shared more than he probably should have._

_Bulma's mouth was slightly agape by the end of his little speech. It was the longest string of words she had ever heard her grumpy boyfriend put together. She moved closer to him, and placed her small hand on his forearm. He had gone back to cooking, having finished all that he had to say. "Every day that I learn more about you, I fall more and more in love with you." She confessed. It was the first time she had admitted to loving him._

Vegeta looked at the fish as it cooked slowly and shook his head. His tail thumped against the ground as he thought. Every day the memories were becoming more and more vivid. He had been keeping them to himself ever since he found out that Kakarot would not help him understand the meaning of these strange flashbacks.

Soon, his meal was done. He pulled the skewer away from the fire with his tail and opened the fish up to check the meat. Perfect. He grinned and began to devour the food. He used his hands to pull meat from the skin while his tail held onto the skewer tightly. It had been two days since he had fled the palace and he was starting to finally feel at peace with himself.

* * *

Two days and still no sign of her son. Chiara held her head in her hands as she watched the sun sink in the sky. She was one of the last people in her palace who hadn't fled to the underground chambers that kept the moonlight out.

Kakarot stood in front of her, a frown on his face. He had been searching without rest ever since they had discovered that Vegeta had gone missing. Once they had established that he wasn't in the palace, they had started looking through the forests and villages in the immediate area.

Either Vegeta was trying not to be found, or he had gone further than they thought. Either way, the full moon would be visible in less than an hour. They had run out of time.

"I'll be staying up top," Kakarot was saying as he looked out the window.

"It'll just be you and him. Everyone else goes underground." Or so Chiara hoped. Every village had an underground complex that was used for not only storage, but also for people during the full moon. Every so often, something went wrong and someone was left above ground. She could not afford for that to happen this time; the results would be devastating. "You'll need to protect him from himself and you'll need to protect everyone else from his as well."

Kakarot nodded; he knew the stakes. "I've dealt with Vegeta in this form before." He said, remembering to a time that felt like a million years ago. So much had changed since Vegeta's arrival on Earth.

"Yes, but we won't know if he'll be in control of himself until you come up on him."

An attendant walked into the room. He looked between the two and bowed. "My Queen." He said, still in his bow.

Chiara nodded and stood from her throne. "Kakarot, my time has run out. We are all counting on you." With that she and her attendant left, leaving Goku alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Goku walked through the empty palace, trying to come up with a game plan. Find Vegeta was step number one, but then what? Goku thought that the less harm he did the better and decided that he would try to keep Vegeta distracted and away from any Saiyan villages. That way he could keep everyone safe and minimize the damage as well. He just hoped that it would work. Maybe Vegeta would even be able to control himself as he had once.

Goku arrived at his room and grabbed a pack. He stuffed it with food, medicine, a change of clothes, and some sleeping gear. He really didn't know what to expect and wanted to be prepared. The moon was just starting to show and the sun would be setting in about an hour. While Planet Vegeta had a fairly warm climate everywhere, the nights in the north got cold. Goku grimaced; he hated the cold.

After he had packed, he stepped out onto his balcony and looked up. Sure enough, the full moon was already bright in the sky, as if bragging boldly of the power it held over these people. Even without his tail, the full moon always put an agitated energy in his soul. He wanted to run, to fight, to move. However, this was no time to give into his desires. He had to focus on the task at hand.

With a firm nod to himself, Goku rose up high above the palace and began to look over the lands for anything out of place. He calmed himself down and searched out with his senses, hoping to find Vegeta's energy. He had tried that at first, but then he remembered that he had shown Vegeta how to conceal his energy on one of their first days of training.

Goku laughed a little and shook his head, _smart kid_, he thought.

* * *

"_You have to dance with me!" Bulma said angrily. She was wearing a beautiful white dress with off-the shoulder straps. It hugged her upper body tightly, but went out at her waist. She looked like a princess. Vegeta laughed to himself. She was a princess now, actually._

"_Why?" He asked, eyeing her suspiciously. His arms folded over the uncomfortable tuxedo that she had made him wear._

"_Because this is our wedding and I'll be damned if I don't dance with you." She said and grabbed his arm. She dragged him out onto the dance floor and placed his hands forcefully on her hips. Then she put her hands on his shoulders and began to sway to the beat. Even though they both knew that Vegeta could resist her manhandling easily, he never did. _

_Vegeta caught on fairly quickly; dancing wasn't hard, it was just humiliating. In fact, it was a lot like really slow fighting. Yes, fighting. The thought made him feel a little bit better as he looked up into his wife's eyes. She was wearing heels that made her considerably taller than him, which was also humiliating, but this whole ceremony had been for her, so if she wanted to wear 5 inch heels, then he was not going to be the man to stop her. _

_Soon, their friends had all joined in on the dancing. Vegeta pulled Bulma close and whispered into her ear. "It's a good think I love you, woman. Because this is stupid and humiliating." Vegeta gave her a self-righteous smirk as she gaped at him. Even though Vegeta had loved her when she first admitted it over a year ago, this was the first time he had ever returned the statement to her. Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes as she hugged him more tightly for the next song._

Vegeta woke up with a start from his nap. He had fallen asleep right after his meal. Now it was dark, cold, and his fire had died. Despite the drop in temperature, he felt like he was on fire. His heart was beating a million miles a minute and it felt like adrenaline was coursing through his veins.

In his confusion, Vegeta looked up to the sky to the the ominous glow of the full moon. He gasped and tried to look away. His tail, which had been wrapped around his waist, uncurled and went stiff. He felt his heart better in heavy thuds as his pupils contracted and his already sharp teeth began to grow.

With a final scream, the transformation started in earnest. _This is going to be bad_, he thought right before he blacked out.

* * *

Goku felt the spike in energy before he heard the screams. It was almost 3 in the morning, he figured, and he had begun to hope that Vegeta would not be making an appearance.

Goku took off in the direction of the energy and soon could see the massive ape that Vegeta had become. He was closer to the palace than Goku had hoped, but was luckily far away from the villages. Ape-Vegeta turned to look at him as he approached.

The two gazed at one another silently for a moment, before Vegeta let loose a fierce roar and slapped Goku with his massive hand. The speed in which the ape could move caught Goku off guard and he went flying through the sky before he managed to slow himself down to a stop.

"Hey! That hurt." He called and flew closer to the Vegeta. "Vegeta!" He called loudly. The ape looked at him, but didn't seem to recognize that his name was being called. "Vegeta, I know you're in there. Deep down. I need you to listen to me, I'm your friend."

Silence, Goku decided, was a good thing. Maybe Ape-Vegeta was waiting for Goku to continue. Maybe he was weighing things out. "It's me! It's Goku… oh, err… it's Kakarot!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Goku knew they were a mistake. Vegeta had fled the palace because of a fight they had had. Maybe introducing himself to this more irate version of the prince was a bad idea.

"Ka-kaka-rot." The beast stuttered out in a baritone rumble. The roar that came next was deafening and Goku covered his hears, temporarily letting his guard down.

Vegeta grabbed him with a mighty paw and began to squeeze him hard, trying to pop him like a balloon. Goku gave a cry of pain and struggled in the giant grip. He really didn't want to hurt Vegeta, but it looked like that was becoming his only choice. Maybe if he just got free, he could let Vegeta chase him up into the mountains.

Goku powered up and released a blast of energy in the form of a heat wave that he hoped would burn Vegeta, but only slightly. It worked and Goku was released as Vegeta cried out in pain. With another few blasts of painful, but not damaging, energy shots, Goku began to speed away towards the mountains.

The loud booming that followed him indicated that his plan was working so far. With a grin Goku turned around to see if he needed to slow down a bit. He didn't. Vegeta was right behind him and was actually about to make another grab for him.

Goku cried out and blasted him one more time before stepping his speed up. This went on for an hour or so, until the were finally in the mountains, miles away from anyone else. Goku was breathing heavily when he finally landed on a cliff far above the ape. He knew that Vegeta would eventually climb it, but that would take sometime and Goku wanted to catch his breath.

The nights were relatively short here and Goku was pretty sure there would only be a few more hours of the full moon that he would have to deal with. He grinned to himself and leaned back on the shift, patiently waiting for Vegeta to climb up.

It was all going to be smooth-sailing from here, or so Goku thought. A second energy spike approaching quickly caused Goku to shoot up, just in time to see another ape climbing over a cliff and heading straight for them.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoy! I am still writing away at this story, so don't you all worry! I know my pace of posting has slowed down a little, but it isn't because I have lost track of where this story is going (I never start writing a story until I know how it's going to end). I have mostly been distracted by all the other talented stories being posted.

Reviews are always a power incentive to posting more often, so please let me know all of your feedback, questions, or anything really. I love it and I really appreciate the time you take!


	14. Chapter 14

Well, things are about to go from bad to worse for our young Prince... not out of the woods yet! (Not by a long shot).

* * *

Time seemed to slow down to almost a stop. Goku watched in horror as the other ape came into full view. It was much larger than Vegeta with a nasty scar across its chest and matted, grey hair. It's teeth were yellow and cracked and Goku was pretty sure there was dark blood on the tips on its fangs.

Not good.

Vegeta noticed immediately and turned away from Goku to confront the new member to the scene. He growled and squared his stance. The other ape returned the growl. The two Saiyans bared their teeth and the older one beat his chest, trying to display his dominance. Goku had to admit, the Saiyan's power was off the charts. Goku hoped that in this transformed state, Vegeta still remembered how to sense other powers and also to raise his own. Goku did _not_ want to have to get in the middle of this. Maybe Vegeta would run for it. Maybe there wouldn't be any fight at all.

Goku snorted to himself. _Vegeta run from a fight? _Fat chance. Goku stood and took off as the older, more aggressive ape lunged at Vegeta. A spray of dark blood erupted from Vegeta's shoulder as the other Saiyan sunk his teeth into him. The momentum caused Vegeta to fall back, with the large ape on top of him. Their combined weight caused the ground to shake.

Vegeta cried out in pain and then used both his arms and legs to push the larger ape off of him. The power sent the ape crashing into a mountain. Vegeta was on him in a minute, but being young, already inexperienced, and slower gave his older opponent time to recover from the crash. Their hands were locked together as they tried to push one another around. The larger ape was starting to overpower Vegeta when his tail shot out and wrapped around one of the thick thighs of the other Saiyan. He tugged hard and tripped him.

Goku floated above the two apes, being completely ignored. He waited, ready to intercede if necessary. As of right now, it seemed to be fairly even. Goku crossed his arms over his chest as a cold breeze rushed through the mountains. He thought about the first time he had fought Vegeta in the... _Oozaru_, is that what they called it? In the ape form. He didn't want to get involved unless he absolutely had to.

From the ground, the older Saiyan took a nasty swipe at Vegeta's inner thigh, cutting deep slices into the skin. Vegeta roared and stumbled back. He took a running start as his opponent got up slowly and hit him at full force. The ape wrapped his arms around Vegeta and they struggled together, Vegeta slamming him into the mountain every so often. The force disrupted the earth and soon large boulders began to fall on the pair. One large rock hit Vegeta on his injured shoulder and that was all the distraction the other one needed.

With a mighty push, he separated the pair and moved away from the mountain. He was moving slower than before, but his injuries were not too serious. Goku was more worried about Vegeta; he seemed to be struggling a little more. It didn't seem right though; there was no way that Vegeta was even close to fully powered up. He wondered if there was any line of logic running through the teen-ape's mind. Maybe Vegeta didn't know how to reach the deep reserves of power he had stored up, or maybe he was really trying to hurt, but not kill, the other Saiyan.

The two apes squared off again and watched each other for a long while. Vegeta was breathing heavily and there was blood dripping from his shoulder and thigh. Goku noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and the dark landscape was lightening by the minute. _Good._ They would transform back soon.

The ragged ape suddenly lunged at Vegeta with a mighty roar. He grabbed the smaller ape and threw him hard into the ground. Vegeta hit his head hard and went limp, face down on the ground. The older ape grabbed the ankle of the unconscious Vegeta and dragged him closer. He stomped his foot hard into the arm of his opponent and Goku heard a sickening crack.

Goku had to act, and fast. With Vegeta unconscious, there was no way he would be able to defend himself. Goku shot a quick blast of energy at the ape that was preparing to stomp of the downed prince's spine.

The ape turned and stared at him, bloody mouth open in surprise. It appeared that this was the first time he had noticed Goku. He growled and moved away from Vegeta, taking a massive swing at Goku, who dodged it easily. "Pick on someone your own size!" Goku yelled as he floated away.

The grey ape laughed cruelly, but he didn't respond. Goku didn't think that this ape had mastered his transformed body just yet.

Goku blasted the enraged ape again and again. The ape roared and stomped angrily, still trying to reach Goku. Neither of the two noticed that Vegeta had woke up. The injured ape limped towards the two, slowly and groggily.

He threw his entire weight at the larger ape and pinned him to the ground. He grabbed an arm with his unbroken one and began to pull. The ape screamed in pain and Goku watched with morbid fascination as the dazed Vegeta attacked the older Saiyan with all his might.

Suddenly, Goku realized what Vegeta was trying to do. It was too late. The ripping sound made Goku want to vomit. He threw a blast at Vegeta, but the arm was off. The older ape was shrieking underneath Vegeta and blood was spurting everywhere.

The ape swung his one remaining arm at Vegeta violently, desperately. The gash swiped Vegeta across the face and sent him spinning. The older ape followed him and tackled him to ground, his blood still pumping everywhere.

Goku began to form a thin power blade. It was Krillin's trade-mark, but Goku was going to have to take a page out of his old friend's book. He didn't want to cut off Vegeta's tail, but it looked like he had no other choice. This fight had escalated horribly. He tried to aim to the best of his abilities, but with the one-armed ape on top, it was going to be tricky. Goku would have cut the older Saiyan's tail off, but with all of the blood the ape had lost, Goku wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last.

Goku let the blast go with a scream and watched as it flew towards the young ape. Just as it closed in on the ape, Vegeta let go a scream and began to shrink. Soon, both of the apes were slowly shrinking and returning back to their original forms.

The deadly energy was still careening towards the two, but it was no longer aimed at Vegeta's tail. Goku watched as the two men continued to shrink, his mouth was agape and the panic coursing through his mind making him incapable of acting.

It all happened in an instant. The blade of energy was upon them, and they were already back in their human form. The blade went between them, cutting Vegeta deeply through his previously uninjured thigh. The older Saiyan was not so lucky; the blast halved him completely.

Goku landed and was sick immediately. He had seen so much fighting, and so much violence, but never had he inflicted this much on someone… someone so _innocent_. Frieza had halved himself with his own evil blast and even that had struck a painful chord with him, but this, _this_, was done at his own hand. He tried to bury the horrible feeling of guilt.

He quickly recovered and ran over to the pair. He couldn't look at the two halves of the once-living man. Vegeta was underneath the dead man's torso, shaking in painful spasms. One look told Goku that Vegeta was in a lot of trouble. The gash across his face and the bite marks on his shoulder were still oozing blood slowly, but it was the two on his legs that were the worst. The gashes along his inner thigh were too close to the main artery for Goku's liking. The slice on his other leg had been cauterized by the heat, but the wound was down to the bone. Goku's stomach lurched again when he saw the white flash out between the muscles and ligaments.

"Vegeta, you have to wake up." Goku said, loudly and sternly as he knelt down, pushing the torso away from him, trying not to think about what he was doing. Goku was no doctor, but he knew enough to understand that his friend wouldn't survive the trip back to the palace if he didn't do something. He had to get these wounds stabilized first and he had to make sure that the huge welt forming over Vegeta's temple didn't cause any brain damage.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled as he quickly bound the deep gashes in his inner thigh. The young prince groaned, but didn't wake up.

Goku continued to call his name as he worked. He was getting worried. It wasn't until Goku carelessly shifted Vegeta's shattered arm to better wrap the wounds on his shoulder that the prince woke up. He shot up suddenly, screaming in pain. Goku fell back in surprise and watched as the young man was sick all over himself from moving so quickly.

Goku winced. Not only was Vegeta naked from the transformation, but now he was covered in both blood and vomit. Goku moved closer and grabbed the prince's chin and turned his head gently. "Vegeta, I need you to look at me." He said quietly.

It looked like Vegeta was having trouble focussing, but he looked up anyways and blinked a few times. One of his eyes was significantly more dilated than the other. Goku swore under his breath. This was bad. If they didn't get Vegeta back to the palace, he wouldn't survive. It looked like the head injury was a lot worse than Goku had thought at first. Hopefully whatever medicine the Saiyans had would be able to fix him.

"Okay buddy." Goku said softly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He grabbed the blanket from his pack and wrapped it tenderly around the whimpering and bleeding teen. "I need you to stay awake for me Vegeta. Can you do that?"

Goku picked him up and stood, preparing for flight. "Can you do that, Vegeta?"

"-Do that." He sounded so weak; his voice was a barely audible mumble.

"Okay, good." Goku took off, holding Vegeta as gently as possible. As they flew, Vegeta grew still. "Vegeta. You're going to be okay. You just need to be strong. You're the strongest person I know and there's no way you're going to let a little tiff kill you, right?"

"Right." Vegeta said after a moment.

Goku smiled. "I mean, all of us Saiyans are strong, but wow! You're one of the strongest there is. You're too strong to give up now. Once you've healed you're going to be even stronger."

Vegeta mumbled something, Goku thought he heard the words 'stop' and 'patronizing', but really it could have been anything.

"We're almost there."

"Almost there." Vegeta was sounding weaker. Goku wasn't sure if Vegeta actually understood what he was saying, or just repeating what Goku said.

"Just hold on a little longer."

"A little longer."

"I need you to stay with me."

"Stay with…"

Goku landed in the courtyard of the palace and ran inside, screaming for help. He was met my two guards. They rushed him to the medical wing. Goku tried to get Vegeta to respond to him the entire way there, but it was useless.

Once they arrived, Vegeta was taken from his arms and put on a bed. He was pushed out of the way as the healers got to work. All he could do now was watch on helplessly.

* * *

Yikes! Please let me know what you think in reviews! I love them and they fuel me. :)

WWingWisher: I don't remember any of them flying in their Oozaru form, but maybe that's just my shoddy memory. Anyways, Planet Vegeta has a higher gravity than Earth... so let's just go with that's why he can't fly and has to climb... Yes, that. ;P


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a long while... Life happened; I fell down a flight of stairs, cracked a few ribs, quit my job, moved to NYC, and then got a new job. However, I want to reassure all of you that I have not lost my way on this story at all! I'm going to try and get back to writing again really soon and will hopefully be able to update relatively soon.

* * *

Vegeta was unconscious for two weeks. He had been touch and go for the first three days. Goku and Chiara never left his side the entire time. They had set his arm and sewn his gashes back together, but it was the head injury that kept him down. The swelling had expanded to the point that his brain was pushing on his skull and the pressure was causing the fluids to push against his eyes and spinal cord.

They had forced the damaged boy into consciousness for as long as they could, trying to ensure that his brain injury didn't kill him, but his tortured screams eventually convinced the healers to let him slip back into his mind. Goku realized that Saiyans weren't big on pain medications, so the poor teen must have been feeling everything.

After they had stabilized him, the healers had informed Chiara that all they could do was wait. So wait, they did. Night and day, Goku and Chiara sat silently next to the bed where Vegeta rested, watching a machine breath for him.

When Chiara had arrived at the medical wing, Goku explained everything that happened. He was convinced that she would murder him, but she had remained startlingly calm. It appeared that she had fallen back into full on queen mode. If she was mad at all, it didn't show. Instead, she offered him condolences, like she was trying to take care of him as much as her son and her kingdom.

"It's good that you were there." She had said softly, eyes never leaving her son. "It's good that _he_ was there. If that other ape made it to a village, then a lot of people would have died."

Goku nodded absently, still thinking about how the man looked cut in half. He shivered. "I wonder who he was."

Chiara shrugged nonchalantly. "Some hermit that time forgot, living by himself with his sins and his past."

"Deep."

Chiara laughed a little. The chuckle began to grow. She threw her head back and gave a full-bellied laugh. She sounded drunk. Goku recognized that laugh; knew it well. She was laughing because her mind couldn't process any other emotions. It was a laugh of desperation. Chiara grasped at the skirt of the long, dark dress she wore and became fixed on the fabric as her laugh faded.

That had been last week. Over the days, Goku grew more and more restless. It wasn't in his nature to sit around. Chiara slept by her son night and day, only leaving for two hours a day to hold court. Goku would arrive in the morning and eat breakfast with Chiara. They barely spoke, instead they just watched the broken Saiyan in front of them.

By lunch, Goku would leave to go dine in the main hall with the rest of the Saiyans. The silence of the medical room was driving him mad. He would fidget restlessly, wanting to do _something_. Again, he spoke to no one. He didn't know what to say. His normally chatty self couldn't think of a single question to ask the people around him. Instead, he watched the other wroudy Saiyans push and shove each other as they ate mountains of food. He wondered how they could feel so light-hearted with the heir to the throne fighting for his life. It never occurred to him that the queen had downplayed the severity of her son's condition. These people didn't know. Goku would ignore everyone around him and just scarf down his food, replaying the fateful night over and over again. In his flashbacks, he changed one little detail every time; trying to find a better outcome.

After lunch, he would arrive back at the medical wing just in time for Chiara to excuse herself for court. When she left, Goku would sit down in her seat and scooch it closer to the bed. He would take the young man's hand and begin to retell stories of their greatest battles and stories of the friendship between them that had grown through the years. He told him of the love that had grown between Vegeta and Bulma; of their son Trunks who was growing up so strong. He tried to remind the unconscious teen that he had a home, and it was not here in the palace. He hoped that his voice would break through to his young friend, He couldn't accept the reality that Vegeta might never wake up.

"Kakarot?" A soft voice asked quietly. "Kakarot, what are you doing?"

Goku turned quickly and saw the Guardian who had escorted him to the palace when he arrived. _How much had she overheard? _

"Oh… umm… Hi." Goku said, giving her his most winning of smiles. Truth be told, he didn't even remember her name.

She rolled her eyes and walked into the room. "It's Merida." She said shortly. "And I don't think Queen Chiara will take too kindly to you breaking your promises."

Goku opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. _Oh hell._

"Don't worry. I am not in total agreement with my sister. I won't betray your secrets."

"Well I appreciate that… wait, WHAT?"

Merida laughed as she settled in the chair next to him. "Yes, didn't I mention that? I'm Queen Chiara's younger sister. And this little pup here is my nephew. I came as soon as I heard."

Goku stared at the woman long and hard. Now that she mentioned it, she did look a little bit like Chiara. She had the same jaw line, pouty lips, and upturned nose. She was taller than her sister though with a more sturdy build.

"So, you don't agree with your sister?" Goku asked as she watched Merida look over her nephew. She had an intense sadness in her eyes that Goku could not place. It was such a heavy, searching look. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought about his question. There was a million ways to answer him.

With a heavy sigh, she turned her eyes to Goku. "Since we phased planet Vegeta into this dimension, the Guardians have been slowly rebuilding our energy in preparation to phase it back. The reason we fought with the queen for so long was because of the amount of energy it would take to reconnect and maintain the portal used to bring one person through. Not only does that take energy, but pulling someone through takes up even more." She paused and let Goku absorb all of that information before she continued. "I understand why my sister wanted her son back so badly, but, it set us back by years. A decade, at least. Sometimes, I think my sister forgets that she is a queen to millions of people. She has to worry about other people and not just her own needs. I think what she did was selfish. Not only that, but turning him back into a child and erasing his memories… that is not right." She paused again and chuckled dryly.

"She was so devastated when King Vegeta sent her away from her son. Then when we phased the planet and she found out that Vegeta was still on Frieza's ship… it just tore her up. As the years went on and she watched her son grow up, she began to lose touch with reality. He was always her baby and the idea of one day knowing her son again, but as a man never sat well with her. I think it just kept getting worse and worse."

Goku looked back at the young prince. It just seemed like he was fated to have a hard life. "Chiara definitely loves her son. It might be better if it wasn't so much though." Goku laughed slightly, thinking about it. He would have never expected Vegeta to be a momma's boy. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "I know my father is dead, but what about my mother? Is she still on this planet?"

Merida got a strange look on her face. It only lasted for a moment, but it was enough to make Goku knew something was the matter. "What is it?"

Merida nodded. "Chiara knew it was only a matter of time before you asked. I didn't plan on you asking me!" She chewed on her lip as she thought everything over. "There is something that you need to see."

"Well let's go!" Goku said, feeling more antsy than ever. He wanted to know what she was talking about immediately.

Merida shook her head, 'no'. "I want to spend some time with my nephew and my sister. We can go on the morrow. We'll leave in the morning, I don't know how long it'll take."

And that was that. Goku decided to give the Guardian some space. His mind raced over the possibilities. Soon, he found himself on the training grounds. There were a few soldiers there, but no one wanted to spar with him; they had watched him and Vegeta enough to know that they stood no chance. After a frustrating hour, Goku decided to give up and just try to sleep it off.

* * *

The next morning, Goku woke right at the crack of dawn. He had slept for over 12 hours, but the sleep had been restless. He couldn't stop dreaming about the man whom he had cut in half with his energy blast, or Vegeta's bloodied body. Goku was a trained warrior; he should have been able to prevent everything from happening.

With a groan, Goku got out of bed and stretched a little before walking to his balcony to watch the sun rise in earnest. The sun's rays cutting through the atmosphere cast rays of red light in a spectrum that Goku had never seen before. It was truly beautiful and as the sun continued to grow in the sky a golden glow over the entire palace grounds. He looked around idly and noticed a lone figure on the training ground.

There was no mistaking it; Merida. He took off and quickly flew over to her. She was wearing training garb that didn't leave a lot to the imagination. Goku landed a few feet short of her and gave her a big smile and wave. "Good morning." He said cheerily.

She smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything before she went back to her routine.

Goku had to admit, she was pretty good. "Want a sparring partner?" Goku asked eventually.

Merida regarded him for a moment before shrugging. "Sure." She said and took a wide fighting stance. Goku grinned and mimicked the stance. He knew that he could outmatch Merida in strength, but it was clear that she was well trained and Goku was interested in learning some Saiyan fighting techniques. They were a warrior people after all. This was one of the few things that Goku truly wanted to learn about his culture. He then waited for the first attack.

After a long sparring session the two went to the medical bay and had breakfast with Chiara at Vegeta's bed. They ate in silence and watched Vegeta rest. At some point in the past couple of days, they had removed the breathing apparatus and he was now doing that himself. He looked so pale and helpless, that, despite his progress, Goku was starting to worry that he was never going to wake up.

"It's time to leave, we've got a long fight ahead of us." Merida said as she set her plate down. She looked at Chiara and gave her a subtle nod, an unreadable emotion in her eyes. Goku found his inability to interpret the Guardian a little unsettling.

Chiara returned the nod, then gave Goku a sympathetic look before returning her eyes to her son.

"Where are we going anyways?" Goku said, stretching as he stood. His back cracked and he let out a sigh. He was a little sore.

"You'll find out when we get there."

Goku followed Merida to the courtyard in which he had landed just over a month ago with her. The Guardian was fiddling with a device that looked like an old scouter. Eventually, she slipped it on to her ear and pressed a few buttons until a set of coordinates popped up. Smiling triumphantly, she turned to Goku and pointed North. "Let's go." She said and took off into the air. Goku followed obediently, still wondering why there was so much mystery surrounding such a simple question.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed! As always, comments are appreciated. :)

I've also been starting to think up some new stories, but I'm determined to finish this one before I start another one.


	16. Chapter 16

Okay, so we all know that this is an A/U, but I want to reiterate that point now, since I am going SUPER off the books with what is going on with Goku's mom, etc.

Hopefully you all enjoy!

* * *

Merida had not been joking. The flight _was _long. At first, Goku had found interest in the landscape. He tried to remember every detail of the planet's topography, finding it fascinating and beautiful. But after hours of flying north, the landscape had turned jagged and mountainous. It got _boring_.

Goku was just about to ask how much longer it would be when they came upon a clearing the in rocks. In the clearing, Goku could see the remnants of a small, industrial looking city. He turned to Merida, who was looking at him with dark, large eyes. They were completely unreadable. After a nod, Merida began her descent into what was clearly an abandoned city.

When they landed, Goku took a good look around. The buildings were all grey and uniform, it reminded him a little bit of some movie he had watched long ago; some totalitarian government post-apocalyptic something or other. All those movies started to blend together a little bit. Still, the imagery made him uneasy. _What was this place? _It took him a moment to realize that Merida had disappeared from view.

He looked around, sensing for the Guardian's power. Eventually, he found her. She was heading towards the large building at the end of the main drag.

Goku quickly followed her, looking around at the empty buildings. He couldn't tell if they were homes, stores, or storage facilities. Everything was so bland.

"Merida, wait!" He eventually said as she stared at the blank wall of the mysterious facility. She was moving so quickly he wasn't able to take in any details.

She looked over her shoulder at him for only a moment before returning to her inspection of the wall.

"Where are we?"

She hummed slightly in triumph as an invisible panel exposed itself. She pressed a few buttons and suddenly a door appeared. A gush of stale air rushed out the facility that had been dormant for over 30 years. She turned and looked at him, the same unreadable eyes watching him impassively. "We're where you were born, Kakarot."

An hour later, Goku was still staring at the screen that Merida had shown him upon entry to the very strange facility. She stood by him and said nothing.

The image on the screen shook Goku to the core; his mother. She was young and beautiful, with a round face and short, spiky hair. Besides her picture, a list of stats in Saiyan were listed. He didn't know what it said, but Merida told him that she had died. She wasn't smiling in the picture, but Goku could almost paint his own smile on to her face. It made his heart ache. She had died after complications in childbirth; _his_ childbirth.

After a time, Merida became impatient. "Come." Merida said softly, from behind. "I have more to show you."

Goku followed listlessly down the hallway. On each side there were medical treatment rooms. They had large, glass windows that time had made dusty and translucent. After that, they reached a fork in the hallway. There were signs written in Saiyan that meant nothing to Goku. Merida took him to the right and opened a swinging door.

Inside, there were hundreds of tiny beds that had once held babies.

"All of the children who were born here are dead, except you."

The statement ripped Goku from his melancholy thoughts. He looked at her, waiting for more. By the way she was chewing on her lip, it was clear she didn't want to continue.

"You must understand something about our people." She started with as she looked over the abandoned nursery. "We are, and have always been, warriors. As soon as we were capable of space travel, we quickly learned that of all of the many resources Planet Vegeta had to offer as we established an inter-stellar economy, our people were by far the most profitable."

Merida walked over to a large computer consul and began to press some buttons. The lights of the room flickered on as well as the screen itself. "It was not long before the demand for Saiyan warriors outgrew our people's natural ability to produce."

Five women's faces appeared on the screen. Each of them looked young and strong, but Goku noticed that like his mother, none of the other four women were smiling either.

"These facilities began to pop up and remained in function for over two hundred years."

Goku was starting to understand, but the picture that was being painted for him was an unpleasant one. "This isn't a hospital, is it?" He asked quietly.

"No." Merida answered from the seat at the terminal. "It's a breeding facility. These five women you see here are breeders."

Goku looked at her so searchingly that she was completely disarmed. She forgot how ignorant he was of their culture; how strange, alien, and probably barbaric this whole thing must have seemed to him.

"If you were a second daughter born in the first-class of our people, you were sent to become a guardian. If you were a second daughter born in the second-class, you were sent to one of these places."

_So what made him a 'third-class warrior'?_ Goku wondered as he looked about the place with growing disgust.

"There isn't an easy way to say this."

"So then say it the hard way." Goku said, anger and bile rising in his throat.

"There was, is, and always _will_ be a shortage of women on this planet. In order to produce enough male warriors for the demands we were facing, the royal family began to buy second daughters of poor families and take them to these facilities where they became professional breeders. They produced as many children as they could until they stopped taking seed. When they stopped being able to bare children at the rate required, they retired to a lofty and well paid life."

Merida paused, but only for a moment. "All of the children produced in these facilities were meant to be sent to planets that paid for them. After Frieza came around, they were sent out to places he ordered them to be."

"How did they choose the men?"

"In a similar way. Some were paid for their donation, others did it voluntarily. Some… in return for a favor."

Goku turned to look at her sharply. His face in a frown. He waited for a better explanation, it didn't take long.

"If a warrior had proven himself on the battlefield, he would be offered money or land to make a few… _donations_. If a man had never taken a mate, and a lot of them didn't for lack of choices, they would volunteer with hope of producing an heir or two to be proud of…"

She trailed off and when Goku looked over to her, she had a strange look on her face. "And the third kind?" He was beginning to think his father had fallen under this category.

"Raditz was never a strong fighter." She started simply; it was just a fact. "He was _okay_, but was never going to be anything spectacular. Your father had such great aspirations and to know that his only child was never going to be _anything_? It killed him. So, he made a deal. He would make a child or two here in return for his son being given a lofty position in the military."

Merida looked up at him and shrugged. "Being considered part of the third class meant that you were a parentless child. A commodity created for money, not out of love."

Goku felt sick. For the first time since Goku had known Vegeta he finally understood the significance of the insult he had thrown about so carelessly. He could feel the sting in his eyes. Never before had he actually felt so worthless, knowing what he was. Never before had he felt so _hurt_.

* * *

Vegeta was floating. The sun was shining and he was warm, content, and completely numb to reality. His peace didn't last long. Eventually the muted noises began to become more clear. He was no longer floating, but resting on soft blankets that were keeping him warm. The sunlight was melting away into something unnatural. The numbness was slipping away quickly and he was becoming aware of _pain_. Lots of it too. Everything hurt. He must have groaned because soon there was a flurry of sounds around him that made his head ache.

He heard his name being called, but he fought against it, fighting to stay in the warm safe place he had been in. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something in his subconscious told him that what he would find when he opened his eyes was not something he wanted to see.

He was right.

When his eyes finally did open, his mother's face was floating above him. Something was wrong though; her face was blurry. He closed his left eye and everything went back into focus. With more energy than it should have taken, he opened his eye again and closed the right. He could barely see. His tail thrashed violently, it was one of the few things that was uninjured and it moved around to compensate for his entire body. Panic must have played across his face, because his mother was talking.

He couldn't understand a word she was saying. She sounded far away and the words made no sense.

He tried to put his arms up to his ears, but only one moved. The other screamed in pain. With one hand on his head, he balled himself up as much as he could, trying to protect himself against an unknown assailant. As he fought through the pain he began to scream.

Healers were on him in a second, trying to hold him back, inject him with medicines, _talk _to him. It was too much. His heart was beating out of his chest. He was disoriented, afraid, and in pain. With a quick energy blast, he pushed everyone off of him and dashed out of the room. The adrenaline coursing through his veins was the only thing that kept him uprright.

He couldn't understand anything that was happening as he staggered through the halls. He tried to keep his left eye closed. Not only for the tactical advantage of being able to see, but because it _hurt_ to have it open.

A soft voice in the back of his mind told him to stop being so weak. That it was pathetic and he needed to get in control of his facilities. Suddenly a guard was on him, screaming something. He blasted the man in distraught fury. In his confused state, he did not really understand where he was, but he knew that these people wanted to put him back in that room. He could not let that happen. The man was dead before he hit the ground.

Several more guards fell before Vegeta stumbled into the room he didn't even realize he had been looking for. The door slid closed and Vegeta stumbled towards the bed. He faltered and felt something warm ooze down his leg. Running had torn all of the stitches in one leg and the other was oozing blood out of the burn scars. He could smell the blood and it made his head swim. He fell on his broken arm as he blindly stumbled in the dark room.

The sickening crack of half-healed bones made his stomach lurch. His head was already spinning and he felt nauseas. With his working arm, he dragged himself closer. Judging by what his right eye was telling him, he was almost there.

Just as he was about to pull himself up onto the bed, he heard a noise outside. Those monsters were looking for him. They had his mother, they had Bulma, they had Kakarot. His breath was rapid and his vision was swimming. Instead of crawling onto the bed, he crawled underneath it and hid.

He wrapped himself up in a ball and his tail swayed softly as he fought to stay awake. Something had been injected into him and it was making him sluggish. He could fight his natural need to sleep, but the medicated one was too much for his rattled mind to handle. Unconsciousness eventually won the battle.

* * *

Chiara sat on the floor of the medical room. She was uninjured, but still reeling from what had happened. The mass of energy that had shot out of her injured son and knocked her and all of the healers away from him before he fled the room. A guard was standing in front of her.

"Six dead?" She asked, not really sure she could understand . "How could my son kill six people?"

The guard didn't answer, not really wanting to explain to his Queen that Prince Vegeta was more and more likely facing the brain damage they had all feared he would. "He was very distraught, my Queen. But we are looking for him now and we will find him."

"Well… be careful. He is clearly a lot stronger than his injured body might imply." She looked at her feet and wondered, _what the hell have I done?_

* * *

As always, please review! I really appreciate all of the constructive and complimentary comments.

I'll be updating in a few more days.


	17. Chapter 17

To 'Guest' with the questions: This is an A/U, like it said at the beginning of the previous chapter, I went off the books with Goku's back story. Secondly, I've never seen any evidence in the DBZ series to indicate that King Vegeta was a kind man or a good king... so I don't feel too bad portraying him like a self-serving coward of a King. ;)

To all my reviews, one and all, I love you. Really. Even if your comments are just a couple of words, I still get a little thrill when I get email notifications about them.

I have finished Part One of this story and am starting on Part Two tomorrow. Besides that, I have about a million other projects I want to work on, so I may start on some of those as well. Therefore, I will try to keep updating every few days, but it might not always be on this story.

* * *

Goku was sitting outside the facility staring up at the sky when Merida found him. Shortly after her explanation, he had left. She had given him space after seeing the pain on his face. The wind was blowing stronger now and it looked like a storm was starting to roll in from the east. The clouds were starting to churn and expand with unreleased energy.

Merida watched him silently for a long time, wondering what was going through his head. She couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through his head. She could sense that his pain had as much to do with the circumstances of his birth as with something she could not understand. Every ounce of her being wanted to question him and probe his mind, but the energy that was radiating off of him told her to leave him alone.

"We should go soon." She said after a time. They were going to have to beat the storm if they didn't want to risk freezing to death in the rain. Storms in the north turned nasty quickly.

Goku nodded and stood, giving her a dark look. "Are there more like me?" He asked her, knowing that she would tell the truth no matter how painful it was. Merida had said that he was the only survivor from this facility, but maybe there were survivors from other facilities.

Merida looked to the ground, damning his curiosity. She had really hoped that was a question that would not come up.

"Well?" Goku demanded, agitated.

"There are a few." She said quietly, before taking a deep breath and launching into the long explanation. "Shortly after the planet had been phased out, there had been a great deal of turmoil within the Saiyan community. I'm sure you can understand; the economy had been turned on its side. With no need to sell their services, the third class was basically ruled useless by the first class. With no real families and almost no money to spend on creating orphanages for the children, a group of elders snuck silently through the night and killed off the majority of the infants, the birthing mothers, and anyone else who stood in their way.

"By the time the queen had heard about it, it was too late. The few that had been saved were adopted into the royal service and now live at the palace. The elders who had made the macabre decision were held on trial. Their bodies still hang in the Garden of the Dead at the palace."

Goku stared at her for a long time, trying to process what she had said. "Who were these elders?"

Merida mentally scolded herself. "I'm sorry Kakarot, sometimes I forget that you weren't raised here at all. Underneath the monarch were two governing forces; The Guardians of the People and the Elders. We both acted independently of one another and were counsel to the throne. We, of course, voted against killed the children, and so did Chiara. However, the Elders were not willing to listen to a female queen who had no husband to rule or child to replace her. They dumped all the bodies in a giant pit not far from here. After the whole ordeal, Queen Chiara erected a touching monument to them. Saiyans can be cruel, but there is no excuse for genocide against your own people; infants no less. Still, you would be surprised how many people were not in support of her. Do not underestimate the hardships that my sister had to endure to secure her place as leader of the Saiyans." Merida knew that Goku and Chiara did not always see eye to eye. In fact, Merida often didn't understand the motives of her stubborn sister. However, Merida needed Goku to understand the queen a little better. "Of course, putting to death the entire group of Elders did help a lot."

Goku nodded and looked up at the storm again. He shivered and crossed his arms as a strong wind blew. The temperature had started to drop and he knew they didn't have much time. "Do we have enough time to go?"

Merida really did not want to. She knew that if we went, they would arrive right as the rain set in. If they weren't careful, they would have to find some shelter in the mountains. There were no real villages in the area. She grimaced and sighed heavily. Oh what the hell. "Yeah… we have time."

Goku smiled and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Yes! Let's go."

They were in the air for less than five minutes when Merida came to a sudden halt. Goku, who had been watching the skyline, almost slammed into her.

"Something's wrong." She said, her eyes not seeing what's in front of her. She was hundreds of miles away. Before Goku had the opportunity to ask her what she meant, Merida whipped around. "Something is wrong with Chiara! Something is wrong at the palace!"

"How do you know?"

Merida paused and looked at him so scathingly that for the first time since they had met, he truly saw her sister and nephew's personality in her. "Not only are all Saiyan's born with telepathic abilities, but also she's my _sister_. And I'm a professional _psychic_."

Goku held up his hands in surrender. He was pretty sure he could see a vein twitch under her eye. If it weren't for the circumstances, it would be absolutely hysterical.

"We need to get back to the palace. Now." She said, worry clear in her eyes.

Goku changed directions immediately, following the guardian as she raced back to the palace. "What about the monument?" He called to her as they flew.

"There is no time! It could be Vegeta!" Her voice was shrill. She pushed herself to fly faster.

Suddenly, Goku's entire body went cold. His eyes grew large and his heart beat accelerated to an alarming rate. He also quickened his pace. _Had the boy passed?_ No, it couldn't be. Vegeta was too strong to die. Goku couldn't believe that they might never be able to get back to their home. No, no, no, no, no. All of the hurt and pain that Goku felt left over from the breeding facility vanished in a moment. He felt like he was shaking apart.

* * *

Vegeta cracked his eyes opened and stared groggily around the dim room. He didn't understand where he was, but the ceiling was only inches above his head. He tried to uncurl his body and groaned in pain. His arm was definitely broken, both of his legs were screaming in pain, his shoulder and face were also sore, but his mind was the worst. His head was screaming and everytime he tried to pull a memory out of the depths, a thick fog prevented him from doing so. He didn't know how he had been injured and he didn't know how he had gotten where he was. In fact, he was having real trouble piecing anything together.

With more effort than he had ever used before, Vegeta drug himself from under the bed. His tail pushed softly, trying to help. He only had one arm to use and he needed all the help he could get. _Why was he under a bed?_ With a little gasp, Vegeta tried to look around but realized that he couldn't see very clearly. _Where was he?_

He curled up again, having only moved a few feet away from the bed. The whole room was spinning and he was feeling very nauseous. If he moved anymore, he was afraid that he was going to be sick. Vegeta slowed his breathing and focussed only on moving the air in and out of his lungs. Being so weak made him angry. With his scattered mind, he couldn't really understand the severity of his injuries, instead he convinced himself that he was just acting pathetic. He was a Saiyan! He could do it. He could do it. _What was he doing?_

In the back of his mind, a small voice whispered, _hiding_. With a newly discovered resolution, Vegeta pushed himself into a standing position with his one good arm. On wobbly legs, with no ability to maintain equilibrium, he slowly limped towards what he thought was a window.

Not being able to focus well enough to find the handle on what he realized was a door, he blasted it open. The use of force left him shaking, but something was telling him he had to escape. He couldn't remember why though. Everything was coming to him so slowly and he only wanted to sleep again.

When he got outside, he was instantly greeted by a cool and relaxing breeze. He closed his eyes and turned to face the warm sun. It caused him to feel instantly relaxed, but it didn't last long. The pain was unbearable. With determination, he pushed himself into the air and raised slowly above the balcony. He flew higher and higher until all of his strength left him. He really didn't know where he was going or why he was trying to fly anywhere. He realized sluggishly, that his inability to piece anything together was unnatural. Before long, he began to descend slowly. Instead of returning to the balcony, however, he landed on the roof and immediately fell into a little ball.

He gave out a small sob as his body began to shake. He couldn't understand what was happening, but his body had started to fall into a state of shock as his organs began to fail. They were pulsing out harmful toxins that poisoned him as his blood left him. In his weakened state, even his strong Saiyan healing abilities could not keep up.

Just as he was about to fall into unconsciousness, strong arms wrapped around him. He looked up with his bleary eyes and saw the familiar outline of dark hair. Goku was screaming something at him, but he began to black out. It sounded like he was underwater.

* * *

Goku had found him just in time, the healers had said. Vegeta hadn't been scheduled to wake up for another week, but somehow they had missed a dose of medicine. His brain was still damaged and he shouldn't have been able to sit up, let alone fly or fight. They couldn't understand how he had done what he had done. Goku wanted to yell at them for underestimating the strength of the young prince.

Even though Vegeta had only been gone about 9 hours, the damage might have been permanent. They had reset his arm and sewn up all of the open wounds. The healers were worried that being awake would prevent his mind from healing properly.

As the healer explained to the group the problems involved with Vegeta waking up mid-heal, Goku noticed how serenely calm Chiara was. Something was not right. She should be screaming about their incompetence or threatening them physically. Maybe she was in shock.

Shortly after the healer had excused himself to let the group visit over the battered teen, Chiara stood. "It's time for me to hold court." She said softly, staring at Vegeta; staring _through_ Vegeta.

"Don't you think you ought to stay, just today?" Goku asked incredulously. Her son was closer to death now than he had been two weeks ago, how could she just leave?

"Why?" Chiara asked, some of her trade-mark fire returning to her voice. "My son will not be awake for some time still. I cannot let my planet fall apart just because my family is." With that, she turned sharply and waltzed out of the room.

Goku didn't know what to say, so he just turned back to Vegeta. He was pale from blood loss and the veins in his arms stood out in an angry blue. It made him look ashen compared to the glowing tan the kid had been sporting from all of their outside sparring. The healers had given Vegeta ten new neat little stitches on his forehead, but the scars on his face were already healed enough to be left open. In his medicated coma, Vegeta's injured appearance made him look just like his grown-up self. It was eerie how close the two were despite the age difference.

Suddenly, Goku was very angry. "How could the healers just _forget_?" He shouted, standing up.

Merida was silent for a long time, chewing her lip as she looked at the ground. She appeared to be weighing a decision, eventually, it appeared she made up her mind. "They didn't." She whispered, before pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning on and coming to stand in front of Goku.

"Chiara, she-"

"What did she do?" Goku demanded.

"She tried to have the healers erase his memories of the woman… Bulma, again." She whispered.

Goku's eyes widened in shock. His mind instantly racing. How could she try to manipulate a damaged mind? Didn't she realize the serious repercussions of her actions? No wonder she had reacted the way she had when Vegeta was returned. She hadn't lashed out in anger because the only one she had to be angry with was herself.

"Please, try-"

"No!" Goku shouted, causing Merida to jerk back. The look in her eyes was not worry, but rather fear. Waves of angry energy were rolling off of Goku. "You took me away from the palace so I couldn't interfere." Goku felt so stupid. So _gullible_. When Merida had overheard him telling Vegeta stories, she had promised not to tell. Had she lied? Goku had felt so sure that she was on his side.

"I didn't _agree_ with her."

"That doesn't matter! You still _helped _her. You still knew what she was going to do and you made sure I was away."

"She is my sister and she is the queen! It is my duty as family and as a Guardian to follow her orders."

"No, it is your duty to make her understand how completely insane she is! She's going to kill her own son before she let's him go." Suddenly Vegeta's own stubbornness didn't seem half as bad. This is a woman who would take the expression 'to cut your nose off to spite your face' literally. Goku would have laughed at how close their family resemblance was if it wasn't so serious a moment.

Merida huffed loudly and moved so that she was just inches from Goku's face. Although she was so much smaller than him, she stood on her toes and got into his personal space. "Remember to whom you are speaking and of whom you are speaking about." She said in a low voice before she stormed out of the room. Goku stared at the wall behind where she had been standing, startled by her warning. The only sound in the room was Vegeta's soft breathing.

Goku slowly returned to his seat. What a mess. He couldn't help but feel an overwhelming wave of helplessness. Without Merida on his side, he was once again alone with his struggles. He was so sure that he had found in ally in the guardian. All he had wanted to do was bring his friend home, but now that was looking less and less likely. He cast his eyes upon the injured teenager. Now he wasn't even sure if his friend would wake up and have the same personality. Memories and age aside, now there was a real risk that Vegeta wouldn't even be able to string a sentence together. He shook his head and sighed.

* * *

Well, things are getting bad. Poor Vegeta.

Hope you all enjoyed, please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Well, I can't thank you all enough for the outburst of reviews that I have been receiving!

You guys are so amazing, I've decided that I'm going to start posting the one-shots of life back on Earth for Bulma and everyone else that is set to accompany this story!

* * *

Vegeta had been awake for a total of one second before his senses were swarmed with urgent and frantic energy. There were people surrounding him, running about, calling out things. He couldn't really understand what was happening as his sluggish mind began to speed up. Every so often his thoughts came to a dead end, like the path they were on had just gone out from under them. It was incredibly frustrating.

Eventually, he opened his tired eyes and looked about the room. It was too bright and he couldn't focus. He groaned and closed his eyes again. His head was starting to hurt. _What the hell had happened to him_?

"Erm… Prince Vegeta?" Came a quiet voice just to his right. He turned his head slowly, but didn't open his eyes. Something was wrong with them. "Can you hear me? Do you understand? If you do, I need you to open your eyes."

Vegeta really did not want to open his eyes, but eventually he did. Everything was blurry, but he could make out the face of a man in front of him. He didn't know who it was, but something told him that the man was a healer. Suddenly something was put over his left eye. It felt like some sort of bandage that was holding his eye closed.

"That's a little better, isn't it?" He said softly. Vegeta blinked his right eye a few times and the room did go into focus. He nodded his head silently and took a full view of the man in front of him.

He was older, with spiky hair that was pulled into sharp ponytail. He had a long scar across his cheek, and a stern face. Despite his rough features, he had a generally kind expression on his face. His name was stitched into his medical shirt and right next to it was a small animal. _Wait… what? _Vegeta sensed a swell of outrage. This man was a _children's_ healer.

Vegeta tried to sit up in bed, but his body only shook and he let out a gasp of pain. He slumped backwards and ignored the healer. He was speaking to him, but Vegeta was having trouble keeping up with the words he was saying, instead he took stock of his body. His left arm was broken and held in a tight cast, it throbbed in time with his pulse. His right shoulder had some nasty, bite-looking, punctures in it. They were sutured together and nasty, but clearly not infected. His body was covered with rough cuts and bruises, but seemed undisturbed. His eye travelled down to his legs. His right thigh was bound tightly with bandages, but he could make out thin red lines. _Were the wounds still bleeding?_ He couldn't fill in the gaps. His left thigh was infinitely more concerning. There was a deep and disturbing gash in it that was bone deep. His Saiyan healing powers had started to regrow the muscles, fats, and skin. Still, it was a disgusting appearance. "Why?" He said.

The healer stopped talking, startled by the prince's soft word.

Vegeta growled to himself. He had wanted to ask why the burn-gash was left open, but instead all that came out was "_Why?" _Before he lost his thought train.

The healer smiled sympathetically. He put a hand softly on Vegeta's thigh. "Your highness," He said softly, "I need you to take deep breath if you can understand me. It was time for you to come out of your medical coma, but your brain is still healing."

Vegeta's mind was reeling. He only understand half of what was said to him, but he got the important notes. Instead of an answer, he let out a high-pitched keen of distress.

The healer's thick, severe eyebrows scrunched together. "Big breath prince Vegeta. One, two. There we go. In and out. One, _in_. Two, _out_." The healer's mantra continued on until it broke through the cloud to Vegeta's mind. Eventually, Vegeta followed his breathing instructions and began to calm down.

Maybe, Vegeta thought slowly, it was a good thing that they had a child's healer in the room. He would never admit that though, his pride was far too great.

Suddenly, the door popped open and Goku stepped in. He smiled and bounced on his feet, barely able to contain his excitement. Vegeta felt a phantom emotion of annoyance, but he was also extremely grateful to see his old friend. He began to smile, but then his mother walked in. His smiled dropped immediately, but he wasn't sure why. He remembered being angry with her, _really_ angry, but why?

"Vegeta." She said softly as she grasped his right hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I am so happy to see you awake and well on your way to recovery."

Vegeta didn't want to talk to his mother. Really, he didn't want to talk to anyone. The effort was far greater than it should be and he was already so tired. He closed his eyes and relaxed against his bed. Even as he drifted to sleep, he could feel his mother's hand on his.

* * *

Goku had been pointedly avoiding Queen Chiara ever since the argument that he had had with Merida. He just didn't know how he was going to talk to her knowing what she had tried to do. _Again_. He didn't know if he should confront her about it or just subtly try to get it out of her. He sighed, wishing Piccolo were here. Or Bulma. Or _anyone_ really. Goku had never been the best at making strong decisions like this.

Now the two were waiting outside Vegeta's room waiting to be allowed in. After the last time the prince had woken up, the healer had suggested that the less people in the room, the better. The man was waking Vegeta now and everyone's fingers were crossed, hoping that Vegeta didn't lose control again.

Soon, they were ushered in. The teen was sitting up in bed looking pale, in pain, and rather confused. The agitation was clear on his face. One of his eyes was covered by a skin colored bandage that made him look like he had no eye at all.

Not long after they entered, however, Vegeta was asleep again. Goku had been so excited to see his friend; so excited to talk to him again. Now, he was feeling deflated. What little interaction they had had with Vegeta did nothing to reassure him, but the healer seemed to be thrilled that Vegeta had ushered even a single word and seemed to be relatively aware of his surroundings.

"His mind is still healing." He said, reassuringly. "He will get better every day."

"And his leg?" Chiara asked, thinly. Her eyes had not left the disgusting gash on his thigh since he had fallen back asleep.

"Also healing. Everyday he gets better." The healer assured as he cleaned up the supplies. He had redressed Vegeta's wounds after he had fallen back to sleep. "The salve that we've been applying to encourage growth works better when it's left out in the air." He said and smiled, obviously feeling proud of himself.

Without much ado, the healer excused himself, promising to return after a few hours to check on the fragile prince. This left Goku alone with Chiara. Again. He sighed and looked at Vegeta. _What was he going to do?_

"Queen Chiara." He said softly, pulling her attention from her son. "Your sister told me what you tried to do." Judging by her sharp intake of breath, Chiara had not expected this. Goku now turned to face her, staring boldly into her fiery eyes. "You have the blood of six guards on your hands. And you almost had your son's on them too."

Chiara didn't speak. She seemed to understand that Goku had more to say and he appreciated that she was going to let him speak his piece before she responded. He took a deep breath. "I know that you love him. He's your son and you worked hard to get him back here, but you can't kill him to keep him in the place that you want. You tried valiantly to erase the past 30 years, but there are just some things that are just out of your reach. Even if you are the queen."

The silence seemed to last forever and Goku was starting to get antsy. _Why wasn't she saying anything?_

"You're right, Kakarot." She said softly, giving her son's hand a squeeze. "But there are plenty of things that I _can_ control, as queen." With that, Chiara stood and left the room. Goku felt like a piece of led had just landed in his stomach.

* * *

A week later, Vegeta shuffled through the halls of the palace, trying to get lost. He had been released from the care of the healers a few days ago, but he was still bandaged up and felt weak and pathetic. Not only that, but with his eye still bandaged; he looked like a fool too. It made him so angry that it hurt. Well, actually, everything made him hurt, but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone, especially the healers.

He knew that he was getting better, but simple things still frazzled him and it was easy to lose focus on the task at hand. It was incredibly frustrating. He wasn't allowed to train and his schooling had been put on hold too, so his days were mostly filled with wandering around the halls of the palace, avoiding his mother and Kakarot. He was so ashamed of himself that he didn't want to talk to either of them. He also had a lingering feeling of anger and betrayal that he couldn't place.

"Hey buddy!" Vegeta heard from behind him. He turned quickly, then closed his eyes as his entire view swayed.

"You okay?" Goku asked.

When Vegeta opened his eye again, Goku was kneeling in front of him, hands hovering over his shoulders, as if he was worried that touching Vegeta would break him. Vegeta could feel the anger rising in his chest.

"I'm not." Vegeta croaked out. "I'm not a glass doll." He said, taking a step back.

Goku's enthusiastic smile faded immediately and he sighed. "Vegeta, I don't think that at all." Even on his knees, Goku still stood eye to eye with the teenaged prince.

Vegeta looked down at his feet, not wanting to face his would-be friend. He felt like his entire world had been flipped on his head and all of the confident pride that the prince had once had was gone. Goku was still in front of him, just waiting with a surprising amount of patience. Eventually, Vegeta looked up. "What do you want, Kakarot?"

Goku laughed nervously and hopped back on to his feet. "Oh I just hadn't seen much of you, you ghost!" He rocked on the balls of his feet and put his hand up to the back of his head.

He's nervous, Vegeta's rattle brain supplied for him, he's lying. Vegeta moved his arms slowly, until they were folded over his chest. He huffed slightly and narrowed his one open eye. "I think I know you well enough to know when you're lying."

With a sigh, Goku nodded. "Yeah, you really do." He tilted his head slightly, then looked around the empty hall. "How much do you remember about Bulma?"

Vegeta opened and closed his mouth a few times while he was trying to catch up with the question. Last month, Kakarot wouldn't even acknowledge that Bulma was a thing, now he was asking about her specifically? What the hell was going on? "I remember." He took a deep breath and closed his eye, searching through the memories that were more like dreams. "I remember being happy. I remember being _home_."

When he opened his good eye again, he was met with a giant smile.

Goku nodded to himself more than to Vegeta. "I want you to hold onto that, kiddo. No matter what happens, remember how happy you were, remember what home is." With that, Goku bounded away from Vegeta, leaving him alone and confused.

* * *

Hopefully you all enjoy! I've finished writing this story, but I am still finishing Part Two (which is a lot shorter than Part One). I should be updating this story every other day until it's all over with.

As always, please review. :)


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